Six-Year-Old's Death After Teacher's Slap Revives India’s Punishment Debate

Krishna Prasad received a call that his six-year-old son, Pranay Teja, had collapsed at his kindergarten in Visakhapatnam and was taken to King George Hospital, where he was declared dead. CCTV shows the child being slapped by his teacher after failing to finish homework, after which he fell and could not be revived despite CPR attempts. The state School Education Department described the death as “extremely unfortunate and painful” and formed a three-member committee to investigate.

Despite the 2009 Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act outlawing corporal punishment, studies indicate it persists in many low-income schools, with enforcement gaps highlighted by lawyers such as Kawalpreet Kaur. Historical analysis links the practice to pre-colonial caste hierarchies and British-era school discipline, while recent cases involving Dalit and Muslim children illustrate ongoing discrimination.

Activists and parties like the Cockroach Janta Party call for mandatory reporting and independent complaint mechanisms to curb the abuse. The education department says sensitisation programmes for teachers are being planned, while the family demands accountability.