India: Class 6 student dies after being forced to do 100 sit-ups for arriving late

A Class 6 student in Maharashtra, India, died nearly a week after allegedly being forced to do 100 sit-ups for arriving late, media reports say. Authorities have launched an inquiry into the incident.

The student, from a school in Sativali, Vasai, died at a Mumbai hospital on Friday night. Members of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) alleged that on November 8, she and four other students were made to do 100 sit-ups each for arriving late to school.

Her mother told media, “After the punishment, she experienced severe pain in her neck and back, and could not get up.”

She added that the teacher had made her daughter perform the sit-ups with her school bag strapped to her back, calling it an “inhuman punishment” that led to her death.

Citing Mint, the girl’s mother told reporters, “I was informed that the students were punished for arriving late. The teacher defended it, saying parents otherwise accuse them of not teaching the children despite paying fees. I told the teacher that punishing students does not mean forcing them to do sit-ups with bags on their backs. This inhuman punishment led to my daughter’s death.”

Block Education Officer Pandurang Galange confirmed that an investigation into the girl’s death is ongoing. A teacher from the school told media, “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.”

Sachin More, an MNS leader from Vasai, said the girl had pre-existing health issues but was still subjected to the punishment. Another teacher noted that the exact number of sit-ups performed and whether they caused her death remain unclear.

Following the incident, MNS and NCP (SP) workers staged protests in the area, demanding accountability and strict action against the school.