Additional Coverage:
- Indian schoolgirl, 12, dies after brutal 100 sit-up punishment for being late to school ahead of Children’s Day (themirror.com)
Tragedy Strikes: 12-Year-Old Dies After School Punishment, Sparking Outrage
Mumbai, India – A 12-year-old student in Maharashtra, India, has tragically died after allegedly being forced to perform 100 sit-ups by her teacher for arriving late to school. The incident has ignited widespread outrage among parents and community members, leading to demands for immediate action against those responsible.
Kajal Gond, a sixth-grader at Shree Hanumant Vidya Mandir High School in Vasai, reportedly endured severe back pain after completing the punishment on November 8th, all while carrying her schoolbag. Her condition rapidly deteriorated at home, necessitating hospitalization in Nalasopara before she was transferred to Mumbai’s JJ Hospital, where she passed away during treatment. Her family firmly believes that the punishment directly led to her declining health.
“She was crying in pain and kept saying she could not move her back,” shared her distraught father, Sunil Gond. “No child should be treated this way for being late.”
The incident has prompted local residents and parents to call for stringent measures against the teacher and the school administration. Community activist Meena Patil condemned the act, stating, “This is not discipline, it is cruelty. We send our children to school to learn, not to suffer.”
The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), a regional political party, has issued a stark warning, declaring that the school will remain closed until criminal charges are filed. MNS spokesperson Rajesh Kadam emphasized, “Justice must be served, and those responsible must face the law.”
This deeply unfortunate event has reignited a critical debate in India regarding corporal punishment in schools. Despite being officially banned, the practice continues to persist. Education advocates are now pushing for stronger enforcement of child protection laws and enhanced training for teachers to prevent similar tragedies.
Disturbing Allegations Emerge at New York Daycare
Meanwhile, a separate and equally disturbing incident has come to light in New York, where a daycare catering to autistic children is facing a lawsuit. The lawsuit alleges that the facility facilitated a cover-up involving one of its teachers, who is accused of bruising a 3-year-old’s arms and rubbing hand sanitizer in their mouth.
The teacher, Heidi Velasco Munoz, pleaded guilty in 2023 to charges of endangering the welfare of a child stemming from the incident. When arrested, she reportedly told police, “I don’t have an explanation” for her actions concerning the non-verbal child.
According to reporting, the lawsuit claims that Happy Dragon Children Learning Center in Queens “never reported the abuse” to the parents and failed to immediately terminate Velasco upon learning of the incident.
“I trusted them,” expressed Sabrina Gentile, the child’s mother, to The Post. “They failed me and my family. Even though this happened in 2023 it still causes pain to all of us.”
The family’s attorneys, Sanford Rubenstein and Mark Shirian, stated, “While justice has been done on the criminal side, we now look for justice on the civil side.”