A 10-year-old girl from Palghar district has been fighting for her life since the past few weeks after being slapped by her tuition teacher early this month.
The class 5 student, identified as Deepika Patel, was admitted to the intensive care unit KJ Somaiya Hospital in Sion with severe brain injury, tetanus toxicity and respiratory failure, and is on mechanical ventilation.
The incident occurred on October 5 when Deepika Patel, a Class V student, was attending a private tutorials in Nalasopara (East). The teacher, identified as Ratna Singh (20), walked up to Deepika and slapped her on the right cheek as despite warning, she continued to cause disturbances in the class, Ratna claimed.
Deepika went home after finishing her tuitions and complained of pain in the ears. Her father saw that her cheek and ears were swollen. When he probed her, she narrated what happened in the tuition class.
The girl’s father, Ambaram Patel, stated that he initially took his daughter to a local doctor for treatment. Later, he visited a private hospital for further checkups, but her condition did not improve and she complained of hearing loss. On October 13, her health worsened—her jaw got locked and she was unable to speak.
He then rushed her to Sanjeevani Hospital, where she was admitted for a day. However, over time her face began to swell and Deepika found it difficult to open her mouth.
Deepika's father Ambadas Patel said, “Deepika could not eat or drink anything for three days. So she got upset and then we took her to a government hospital in Mumbai. But as ICU beds were not available there, we admitted her to KJ Somaiya Hospital on October 13 through an acquaintance. Also, the cost of her ongoing treatment is around INR 25,000 rupees per day. We are asking social organisations for help as we are not financially capable.” Doctors have reported that the infection is severe, with recovery expected to take time.
Ambaram filed a complaint with the Tulinj police, who charged Singh under BNS section for rash and negligent act and sections of the Juvenile Justice Act.
Police said they are recording the statements from other students who attended tuition on October 5. No CCTV was found in the tuition class premises, and they are waiting to record Deepika's statement, police added.
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