4 days ago
Critically Ill Tribal Girl Fuels Maharashtra School Protests
Samruddhi is a 14-year-old student who was bitten by a poisonous snake at her tribal residential school.
She and five other girls were sleeping on the floor because the school did not have beds.
Three girls died, and two recovered.
Samruddhi became very sick and needed brain surgery and a breathing machine.
Doctors say she is slowly improving, but she is still paralysed in much of her body.
Her accident has made people protest about unsafe conditions in tribal schools.
Maharashtra officials are inspecting many government-aided schools after the incident.
The government says it will address the students’ concerns and the school’s licence has been cancelled.
Fourteen-year-old Samruddhi remains critically ill after being bitten by a common krait at Japtalai Ashram School in Gadchiroli on August 10.
Six schoolgirls were bitten while sleeping on the floor because the residential school had no beds; three died and two recovered.
Samruddhi underwent brain surgery for intracranial bleeding and remains partly paralysed, requiring ventilator support.
The school’s licence has been permanently cancelled, while officials inspect 133 government-aided tribal schools across six Maharashtra districts.
Students protesting in Pune have demanded improvements, and Tribal Development Minister Ashok Uike promised that their concerns would be addressed.
- Who
- Samruddhi, a 14-year-old tribal schoolgirl, and five other students were bitten; tribal students, officials and Maharashtra Tribal Development Minister Ashok Uike are involved in the response.
- What
- A snakebite at a residential tribal school killed three girls and left Samruddhi critically ill, prompting protests over school conditions.
- Where
- Japtalai Ashram School in Japtalai village, Gadchiroli; Samruddhi is being treated at Government Medical College in Nagpur, and students are protesting in Pune.
- When
- The snakebite occurred on August 10; Samruddhi remained hospitalized more than a fortnight later, while a related hunger strike had reached its 15th day.
- Why
- The school lacked beds and other basic facilities, leading to demands for safer and more dignified living conditions in tribal schools.
Student and tribal advocates
Government response
School safety and facilities
Student and tribal advocates
Protesting tribal students are demanding action over unsafe and inadequate conditions, including the lack of beds at Japtalai Ashram School.
Government response
The government points to the Kayapalat Abhiyan, which improved furniture and facilities at government-run schools and hostels, while officials are now inspecting government-aided schools.
Responsibility for the gap
Student and tribal advocates
The snakebite deaths and Samruddhi’s condition have been presented as evidence that tribal students in some aided schools remain unprotected by basic improvements.
Government response
Officials say Kayapalat Abhiyan covered government-run institutions but not government-aided schools that were privately managed, including Japtalai.
Government commitments
Student and tribal advocates
Students continued protesting, including through a hunger strike that had lasted 15 days, seeking their concerns to be addressed.
Government response
Minister Ashok Uike held a five-hour meeting with protesting students and promised that the government would address their concerns, including the Japtalai snakebite deaths.
Key facts
- Affected students
- Six tribal schoolgirls were bitten by a common krait; three died, two recovered and Samruddhi remains critically ill.
- Samruddhi’s treatment
- She underwent brain surgery for intracranial bleeding and continues to require ventilator support.
- School conditions
- Students slept on the floor because Japtalai Ashram School had no beds.
- Kayapalat Abhiyan
- The programme covered 502 government ashram schools and 491 government hostels, housing nearly 2.5 lakh students.
- Furniture supplied
- The scheme procured 30,809 large desks, 37,104 small desks and 22,135 bunk beds, alongside other furniture.
- Current inspections
- Officials began inspecting 133 government-aided ashram schools across Nagpur, Gadchiroli, Gondia, Bhandara, Chandrapur and Wardha.
- Administrative action
- The licence of Samruddhi’s school was permanently cancelled, and officials began relocating its students.
Quotes
Hospital official
An unnamed official at Government Medical College, Nagpur.
“We undertook it with painstaking planning and execution. The resolve was very clear: no child should sleep on the floor, no child should study on the floor and no child should eat on the floor. It was fundamentally about giving the children a life of dignity.”
indianexpress.com
“It will take some time, but we are hopeful she will recover. Given Samruddhi’s young age and the fact that her body is still growing, we are hopeful of a good recovery.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
Related news
Maharashtra permanently cancels Gadchiroli ashram school licence after snakebite deaths
Snakebite kills 3 tribal girls at Gadchiroli school hostel
Snakebite at Gadchiroli tribal school: Girl critical despite brain surgery
NHRC Seeks Report on Snake Bite Deaths of Tribal Girls
Bombay High Court Orders Care for Fasting Tribal Students
Father Alleges Palghar Ashram School Failed to Report Death
Maharashtra Government Accepts Demands of Protesting Tribal Students
Maharashtra Government Offers Assurances After Tribal Students’ Hunger Strike
Tribal Hostel Hunger Strike Enters Fifteenth Day
Pune Tribal Students Hunger Strike Enters Day 15 Amid Dispute
