Probe launched after boys stuff bits of paper in girl's eyes

The Yuzhou government in Henan province has launched an investigation into a school bullying incident after a 7-year-old girl was bullied by three classmates who stuffed pieces of paper into her eyes, local government said on Thursday.

The investigation team, led by one of Yuzhou's vice-mayors, will conduct a thorough investigation into the incident at Dajian primary school, the government said in a statement.

The girl, a second-grade student at the school, was held down by two boys while another boy stuffed small pieces of paper into the girl's eyes on Sept 28, the Yuzhou bureau of education and sports said in a statement on Tuesday.

The parents of the girl and the boys as well as the school reached a compensation agreement after the girl's eyes showed no signs of abnormality, the statement said.

The boys were scolded but will not face any other punishment, it added.

The girl's mother told Henan Television that dozens of pieces of paper were removed by doctors and the girl's eyesight has significantly worsened.

The principal, surnamed Wang, was quoted by Henan TV as saying it was not clear how many pieces of paper were stuffed into the girl's eyes as there was no teacher present.

"The boys are only 7 or 8 years old," the principal said. "They had no bad intentions. It was just little kids fooling around."

The school's principal and another teacher have been ordered to write a self-criticism for their inattentiveness, an administrative punishment.