A government school teacher in Madhya Pradesh's Jhabua district has been arrested and remanded in 14-day judicial custody by a court for allegedly directing some students to slap their classmate 168 times for not completing her homework.

Thandla tehsil's Judicial Magistrate First Class Jai Patidar on Monday turned down the bail plea of Manoj Verma, 35, additional district prosecution officer Ravi Prakash Rai said. Verma allegedly directed students to slap the girl, then studying in Class 6 at Jawahar Navodaya School in Thandla town, in January last year, he said.