Being an educated person and the principal of the school, he should have ensured that the child, who had been bitten by a scorpion inside the classroom, was immediately taken to a hospital and provided quick treatment.

Instead, the principal took the Class 4 student, Arum Kumar, to a 'tantrik' (exorcist) in place of a hospital. The child, who writhed in pain, died a few hours later.

The shocking incident occurred at a primary school at Veera village in Uttar Pradesh's Jhansi district, about 300 km from here, on Thursday.

The principal was suspended and a departmental probe was ordered into the incident, sources said. "We are trying to ascertain if other teachers also accompanied the child to the tantrik," said a district education department official in Jhansi.

According to reports, Kumar was part of a group of children, who were cleaning the floors after the school re-opened after summer vacation, was bitten by a scorpion.

He was taken by the principal to a nearby 'tantrik' for treatment, reports said. As his condition deteriorated, he was taken to the community health centre, where Kumar died during the treatment.

Doctors said that the child could have survived if he had been brought to the hospital immediately.

Though scorpion stings are painful, usually they are not life-threatening. Doctors, however, say that young children and old people are most at risk of serious complications.