It is difficult to read a story like this and simply move on.
A six-year-old boy went to school in Visakhapatnam. He was in UKG. A child of that age should be worrying about homework, games, friends and the next school break.
Instead, his family is now waiting for answers after he collapsed in his classroom and died.
The child’s family has alleged that he was slapped by a teacher after he did not complete his homework. Police are examining the CCTV footage from the classroom. An FIR has been registered and the School Education Department has ordered an inquiry.
The investigation will have to establish what exactly happened and what caused the child’s death. The post-mortem findings will be important. At this stage, nobody should jump to a conclusion about the cause of death.
But can we really ignore the circumstances?
A six-year-old being physically punished for homework is, by itself, disturbing.
What happened in that classroom?
Was the child frightened? Did he complain of feeling unwell? How long did it take for the school to realise that something was seriously wrong? Was his family informed immediately? Was medical help called without delay?
These questions are not accusations. They are questions that any parent would ask.
Parents leave their children at school because they trust the institution and the people working there. They cannot be present in every classroom. They trust teachers to correct their children, guide them and, above everything else, keep them safe.
A six-year-old may forget homework. He may make mistakes. He may struggle with a lesson.
That is what childhood is about.
There are many ways to deal with an unfinished notebook or a missed assignment. Fear and physical punishment should never be one of them.
If the allegations against the teacher are established, there must be accountability. If the investigation finds that the death was caused by something else, the family deserves to know that too.
What this family needs now is not speculation or competing versions of the story. They need the truth.
And perhaps this tragedy should make every school ask itself a very simple question:
Are we doing enough to make sure that when a parent leaves a six-year-old at the school gate, that child comes back safely?
For this family, that question has come too late.
For the rest of us, it should not.
