Late to school, girl punished to do ‘100 sit-ups' with bag on her back dies; teacher held

A woman teacher has been arrested over the death of a Class 6 student who was allegedly forced to perform 100 sit-ups for coming late to school in Maharashtra's Palghar district, an official said on Thursday.

The teacher, who has since been removed from the private school at Sativali in the Vasai area, has been booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, said the official from Waliv police station.

The girl was allegedly made to perform 100 sit-ups after she reached the school late on November 8. Her mother has alleged that the girl died as a result of an “inhuman punishment” given by her teacher, who made her perform sit-ups with her school bag on her back.

The official said the 13-year-old girl had health issues and could not bear the punishment. She took ill and was taken to a hospital in Mumbai, where she died after seven days.

The death had sparked a protest by local residents and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena workers, prompting the police to register a case. The police arrested the teacher on Tuesday night, said the official.

While the education department has launched an investigation into the incident, the Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation has also initiated a probe.