PUNISHMENT OR MURDER

Punishment or Murder

A terrifying tragedy unfolds in Virar’s Vagad Gurukul International School as three students of class 9  Prahul Patel, Kushal Dhada and Meet Chadwa, who went missing on the night of August 25, were found dead and floating in a stream behind the school campus in what could be a shocking, mysterious and unbelievable case of triple suicide. The boys according to their friends were brutally beaten up by a teacher with a leather belt and shoes after scoring fewer marks. The three had a plan to escape the brutal, stentorian, monastic atmosphere of the hostel which was made much earlier. Getting beaten up with a leather belt seems to have been the last straw for the young kids. The heartbroken parents of the three 14-year old students allege they would have been murdered and the bodies were dumped in the stream which is too shallow for the three boys to drown together. It is not known if the students planned to commit suicide nor were any other students aware of this. The police have arrested two teachers-Ripusdan Garg, a Sanskrit teacher and Sandeep, a PT teacher.

Was it right on the teachers’ part to severely punish the students?

As per the law of Maharashtra State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, corporal punishment is banned across the country.

Why are schools failing to implement the law?

Disciplining a child is not about beating and insulting, but it can be instilled through exercises and better understanding of the reasons as to why the child behaves unruly. Unruly kids needs care, and love.

Teachers and parents don’t realize that such children may suffer from ADHD or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. It is a psychiatric disorder in which one behaves restless and will not obey or cannot focus on studies. The symptoms of which begin between six to 12 years of age and persist till diagnosis and appropriate treatment.

Severely punishing a child is in itself a murder of his/her mental health and future. It does no good to students.

Implementing stricter laws and policies to curb corporal punishment is the need of the hour.