A Class 6 student in Maharashtra’s Palghar district has died nearly a week after she was allegedly made to perform 100 sit-ups for arriving late to school, triggering an inquiry and a wave of anger in the community.
12-year-old Anshika Gaud, a student of a private school in Sativali, Vasai, passed away at a Mumbai hospital on Friday night. Her family says the punishment she was subjected to on November 8 set off a rapid decline in her health.
According to members of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), Anshika and four other students were asked to perform 100 sit-ups each for coming late that morning.
Her mother says the punishment was “inhuman,” alleging that the teacher made her daughter do the sit-ups with her school bag still on her back.
The mother recalls the hours after the incident. “After the punishment, she experienced severe pain in her neck and back, and could not get up,” she said.
Sachin More, an MNS leader from Vasai, has also claimed that Anshika had pre-existing health conditions and should never have been subjected to such physical strain.
The school, however, has responded cautiously. A teacher told reporters, “It is not known how many sit-ups this child had done. One really does not know if she died due to it or otherwise.”
Block Education Officer Pandurang Galange said an inquiry is underway. “The probe will reveal the exact cause of her death,” he said. No police complaint has been filed so far.
For Anshika’s mother, the shock began when she learnt that her daughter was unable to stand after the punishment. She rushed to school and confronted the teacher.
“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.
Her grief is mixed with anger.
“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.
