Class 6 Girl Dies After '100 Sit-Ups' Punishment; Maharashtra School Under Scanner

Authorities in Maharashtra’s Palghar district have launched an inquiry into the death of a Class 6 student who was allegedly forced to perform 100 sit-ups as punishment for arriving late to school. Anshika

Gaud, a student at a private school in Sativali in the Vasai area, died at a Mumbai hospital on Friday night, nearly a week after the alleged incident.Members of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) said Anshika and four other students were punished on November 8 for reaching school late. They claimed each child was told to perform 100 sit-ups.The girl’s mother alleged the punishment was "inhuman", saying her daughter was made to do the sit-ups with her school bag on her back. She said Anshika complained of severe neck and back pain afterward and was unable to stand up.“After the punishment, she experienced severe pain in her neck and back, and could not get up,” the mother told reporters. She said she confronted the teacher, who allegedly justified the punishment by saying students must learn discipline.Sachin More, an MNS leader from Vasai, claimed Anshika had pre-existing health issues and should not have been subjected to physical punishment.A teacher at the school denied knowing whether the child had completed all the sit-ups or whether the punishment was directly linked to her death. “One really does not know if she died due to it or otherwise,” the teacher said.Block Education Officer Pandurang Galange confirmed that an inquiry is underway. “The probe will reveal the exact cause of her death,” he said. Police have not yet received a formal complaint.The girl’s mother said the school failed to take responsibility as her daughter’s condition worsened. "I was told that the students were punished for coming late to school. The teacher justified the punishment, saying the parents otherwise accuse them of not teaching the students despite paying fees," she said."I told the teacher that punishing the students does not mean forcing them to perform sit-ups with bags on their back. The teacher gave my daughter inhuman punishment, which led to her death," she said, as quoted by PTI.(With PTI Inputs)