New Delhi, Apr. 18 : The teacher responsible for the death of 11-year-old Shanno Khan is still absconding nearly 24 hours later.

Shanoo lost her life for not knowing the alphabet. She spent 24 hours in coma.

Delhi''s Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has promised action.

She said, "Whether the girl deserved the kind of punishment that led eventually to her death is something which is very very sad and shocking. I have spoken to the MCD commissioner. They have suspended the teacher and also ordered an immediate enquiry into the whole incident."

The Chief Minister also said that stringent action would be meted out to the teacher and that it should be a deterrent against such incidents happening in the future.

Union Minister for Women and Child Development Renuka Chowdhurysaid that the guilty will not go free and that we need to do more than just a knee-jerk reaction.

Chowdhury said that strict action needs to be taken so that such incidents are never repeated. She said the child had paid a terrible price.

A First Information Report (FIR) has been filed against the teacher Manju under Section 304 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) (culpable homicide not amounting to murder).

The National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) condemned the torture of Shanno Khan.

"This is a sad and barbaric act," said Sandhya Bajaj, a member of the NCPCR. Bajaj said the commission is extremely concerned and worried about the increasing number of cases of students being tortured by teachers, but added that it could not move on cases like Shanno's unless it received a detailed inquiry from the concerned law enforcement and municipal authorities. (ANI)