An arts teacher in Xian, capital of northwestern China’s Shaanxi province, was dismissed Monday after the mother of a student complained that the teacher had used corporal punishment, Sixth Tone’s sister publication The Paper reported.

The incident reportedly happened at Northwest Yimei Studio. According to online ads, the institute caters to secondary school students, providing cram courses preparing them for arts exams for entry into universities in China.

The student told local newspaper Xian Evening News that the teacher had used a one-meter-long steel rod to hit her, and that she witnessed more than 100 students receive beatings.

Xu, a teacher at Northwest Yimei Studio who did not disclose his full name, confirmed to Sixth Tone that one student had been hit with a rod, but denied that other students had been beaten.

The instructor alleged to have beaten the student is Yin Yawei, a teaching assistant at Northwest Yimei Studio. In a statement issued Monday, the Xian-based training school said Yin had lost his job because he had overreacted while disciplining unruly students and caused them harm. It said Yin had intended to help the students improve their scores.

According to the Xian Evening News, another teacher has also been suspended.

The incident was reported to the police on Saturday, the Yanta District branch of the Xian police wrote in a Weibo microblog. Police said that they were still investigating the matter.

This article has been updated to reflect a correction. The teacher was fired on Monday, not Tuesday.

(Header image: The mother who filed the complaint shows a photo of her daughter’s injuries from being beaten with a steel rod, Xian, Shaanxi province, Aug. 27, 2016. Xian Evening News/Zhang Yuming for Sixth Tone)