Han Ximin, Liu Shiyang

    ximhan@126.com

    THE education watchdog in Longhua New Area has set up a team to cooperate with police in an investigation of a case of school violence that has aroused public concern after a Beijing mother’s outcry over her son being bullied by classmates a week ago.

    Liang, a 12-year-old Junior Grade One student of Aiyi School in Longhua, was assaulted by some students on his way home from school near Shuiwei New Village in Dalang Subdistrict on Friday. A hospital diagnosis yesterday showed the 12-year-old victim suffered a fracture in the forehead and a concussion, who has to stay in hospital for observation for about a week.

    In a statement released on its official WeChat account yesterday, Longhua education bureau said it “felt very sorry” for Liang and vowed to hold the attackers accountable. It also expressed deep regret over the incident that happened just days after nine Central government agencies had issued guidance on preventing bullying and violence at primary and middle schools.

    “We have set up a hotline 23336277 to receive reports from students who are bullied at schools,” an administrative employee with the bureau, who identified himself as Liang, said during an interview yesterday.

    Later yesterday, the city’s education bureau condemned the assault and demanded that the school offer professional counseling to the victim and ensure he gets a thorough health check.

    “We should take it as a warning. Schools must strengthen prevention of school bullying and enhance cooperation with police in curbing bullying to protect the legitimate rights of students,” it said in a statement.

    A nearly 2-minute video, which went viral online over the weekend, showed the victim was beaten by eight students between the ages of 13 and 15. They kicked him while chatting and laughing. One student even shouted at the crowd, telling them not to block him from videotaping.

    The video showed one student ordering Liang to look ahead, while another kicked him to the ground from behind. Four or five students gathered and surrounded Liang, kicking and slapping him. After they beat him up, they even forced Liang to kneel down and apologize by saying, “Boss, I am wrong.”

    The school said that the violence Friday was triggered by a dispute between Liang and one of the attackers. However, Liang said that the attack was actually revenge for his report to the school that some students were collecting protection money from junior students.

    Liang claimed that he was afraid of going to school because they threatened to beat him to death.

    The vice headmaster of the school, a woman named Shu, said that some of the attackers were from her school, and that the school is cooperating with police to investigate whether they were involved in collecting protection fees.

    She said the school won’t dodge blame for the incident.

    Earlier this month, a Beijing mother accused two students at Zhongguancun Second Primary School of bullying her 10-year-old son by emptying a trash can over his head from the adjacent toilet stall to tease him.

    However, the school denied the allegation of bullying, saying that the incident was accidental and didn’t constitute bullying or violence. The child, who is now in a deep depression, has been absent from school since the incident occurred Dec. 2.