17-Year-Old Beaten to Death by Father For Low Marks In NEET Mock Test

In a deeply shocking case that has made the nation question education, a 17-year-old girl, Sadhna Bhonsle, was killed by her father Dhondiram Bhonsle, a school teacher, who beat her mercilessly because she had low marks in a NEET mock test. 

Sadhna, an extremely bright student who had scored 92.60% in her Class 10 board exams and had dreams of becoming a doctor, was just about to appear in the highly coveted National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) when the nightmare happened.

The Real Story Of Death

Police said the incident happened in Nelkaranji village, Sangli, Maharashtra, where Sadhna was residing with family members while preparing for the exam. Her father, enraged by her mock test score, beat her with a stick. He trashed his 17 year old daughter repeatedly. The beating led to serious injuries on the head and although she was in a bad shape, there was delay in seeking medical help. Sadhna later was taken to Ushakal Hospital, where she died before doctors could attend to her injuries. 

The mother of the girl has registered a police complaint through which Dhondiram Bhonsle has been arrested and he has confessed to the crime. Police gave the statement, "The girl's mother had filed a complaint at the police station on June 22, stating that her husband had beaten her up due to low marks, resulting in her death at the hospital. The accused father has been arrested and is in police custody till June 24. The case is under investigation.” 

Reality is Not Like Reel

This tragedy is radically opposed to messages of hope, resilience, and support that are portrayed by popular Indian movies such as 3 Idiots, Chhichhore, and 12th Fail. Millions of people have been empowered by these movies, which have shown how important emotional and mental health is, how academics can be harmful, and how important it is to have parents who support a child. They remind us that grades are not the only indicator of the value of the child, and failure is just a pathway towards progress and education.  

Real life, however, remains filled with dreadful cases and one such is of the poor NEET aspirant, when parental demands turn into cruelty. With all the cultural change and low-demand parenting that these films have attempted to create, the normalised pressure situation of competitive exams such as NEET, JEE and the board results continues to drive some families to the brink. This is where the need for entrance exams like GAHET comes in. 

Whatever happened to the class 12 student, Sadhna, can’t be justified in any perspective. The nation just lost a future gem to rage and rigid parameters. A father who is also a teacher did the most brutal act and stained his whole life. Was it worth it? Absolutely not! Brutality can never lead to positive outcomes. 

An Appeal to Sympathy and Common Sense

The story of Sadhna alerts parents, educators and society in general:

• Teachers should be patient and find the right way to deal with different students. The best example of this is depicted in the movie Taare Zameen Par.
• The mental and physical well-being of a child should not be obscured by academic pressure.
• Parents must know their limits over their children. They should guide, not dictate the life of their children.  
• The grades received in an exam, whether mock or real, does not determine the future or the worth of a child as an individual. 
• Rewards, encouragement, care and communication are much better solutions than strict discipline and frustrations that Indian Parents have.

With another young school kid being killed yet again on the dark side of academic obsession, it is time to come back to reality. Low-demand parenting is something to be encouraged in today’s society. Let us take our cues out of movie theater and life experience reports, and make sure that we have children who feel secure, nurtured and loved, no matter what their report cards say about them. Last but not the least, normalizing physical assault, being rude, and having high expectations or least expectations as parents is not a sign of good parenting. A child can become a shining star when everything is balanced. 

In case you or your friend is experiencing any academic pressure, ask for help because no test weighs more than life.