13-year old girl punished for coming late to school; principal apologises amid police warning

PALGHAR: A 13-year-old girl of a reputed school in Palghar has been hospitalised after the principal allegedly punished her for being late to class by five minutes, her kin claimed on Monday. She was made to do 50 squats on January 17, resulting in health complications, including body pain and vomiting, they added.

"She has been admitted to a hospital here for the past three days. We submitted a complaint at Palghar police station on January 19 but withdrew it after our daughter asked us to," her kin said. Inspector Anant Parad said he had spoken to the parents and the school management.

A warning has been issued to the school management and they have been told to ensure no such incident takes place in the future, Parad said. The school principal said she had visited the girl in hospital and apologised, following which the incident was resolved amicably.