Vasai: Teacher makes student do 100 sit-ups despite being aware of her health issues; FIR filed after girl’s death
Officials said that the girl and several other students were punished on November 8 for being late. After she returned home that day, her condition worsened. She was first admitted to a hospital in Vasai and later shifted to JJ Hospital in Byculla, run by the state government. She died there a week later.
Vasai: A teacher, who forced a 13-year-old student in Vasai to do 100 sit-ups with her school bag strapped to her back for arriving 10 minutes late, has been arrested. Police said the punishment is suspected to have triggered the health complications that led to the girl’s death. The teacher, Mamta Yadav, was taken into custody on Wednesday on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
Waliv police registered an FIR against Yadav late on Tuesday. Officials said that the girl and several other students were punished on November 8 for being late. After she returned home that day, her condition worsened. She was first admitted to a hospital in Vasai and later shifted to JJ Hospital in Byculla, run by the state government. She died there a week later.
School under scrutiny
Her death led to a review of how the school was operating. Investigation team also found that the institution had been admitting students for Classes 9 and 10, even though it was only authorized to teach up to Class 8. The education department had already announced a probe, and a team visited the school on Tuesday.
Inspectors also found that the campus lacked proper facilities and was functioning out of a structure similar to a chawl. Earlier, the Vasai-Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC) had put up a warning board outside the building declaring it illegal, but school officials allegedly covered it up. Activists have questioned why VVCMC did not act sooner against such structures.
Activist Terence Hendriques held the civic body responsible, saying that its role did not end with simply placing a warning notice. "If the authorities had taken the right steps earlier, this incident might have been prevented,” he said.
He also urged VVCMC to immediately issue notices to all schools running out of unauthorized buildings. Sources confirmed that VVCMC has now sent a notice to the school asking it to submit all documents showing how it was allowed to operate from the disputed premises.