Palghar, Maharashtra: A shocking incident has come to light at a tribal residential school in Palghar where a teacher allegedly subjected fourth-grade students to severe punishment for not completing their homework. This incident, which occurred four days ago, has left the young girls traumatized and has triggered strong condemnation from local communities, who are demanding strict action against the teacher.
The incident took place at the Secondary and Higher Secondary Tribal Ashram School in Bhatane-Belwadi, Vasai taluka, which falls under the Dahanu Integrated Tribal Development Project. According to a student, the teacher punished the fourth-grade girls by ordering them to do squats and instructed them not to get up until she called their names. Consequently, the girls were forced to perform over a hundred squats.
This excessive physical exertion has severely affected at least three to four students. It has been reported that three girls have experienced significant swelling in their legs, making it difficult for them to walk.
The punishment was reportedly administered during school hours on Wednesday, April 2. The students experienced severe swelling in their legs by the evening and suffered throughout the night. The following day, as the girls continued to experience discomfort, the teachers took them to a clinic. Reportedly, Vijay Patil, a local social worker present at the clinic, inquired further and discovered the details of the incident. He then contacted the girls’ families and informed them about what had happened. The families allege that when they contacted the teacher, she provided evasive answers.
On Saturday, the families visited the school to check on their daughters and found that they had sustained significant injuries. They subsequently took the girls home and are currently seeking treatment for them at a local hospital. Even four days after the incident, the condition of the students remains concerning, and they are facing difficulty in walking, requiring constant care from their families. The families are demanding strict punishment and appropriate action against the teacher for inflicting inhumane punishment on the young girls.
The government has established these government-run tribal residential schools to provide quality education to children from migrating families who strive for a better livelihood and spends crores of rupees annually to ensure that the children residing in these schools receive proper and quality education. However, incidents of teachers mistreating students at the local level have surfaced on numerous occasions. This incident has once again raised serious questions about the safety and well-being of tribal students in these institutions.
The school administration stated that the students were punished for not completing their homework. Dahanu Project Officer Satyam Gandhi responded to the incident by stating that a team has been sent by the project office for further investigation. He assured that appropriate action will be taken based on the inquiry report received from the team. All eyes are now on what action will be taken in this case.
