The tragic death of three tribal girls in a venomous snakebite at a Maharashtra government-aided residential school in Gadhiroli has exposed the precarious conditions at the facility and alleged indifference, leading to permanent cancellation of its license and suspension of an official on Tuesday.
The incident occurred around midnight on Sunday at the hostel in Japtalai village, about 10 km from Dhanora taluka. Six girls were bitten by a venomous snake while they were sleeping on the hostel floor.
Tribal Development Minister Ashok Uike briefed the state cabinet about the incident on Tuesday. The residential school is run by a former Congress minister, Marotrao Kowase. The chief minister noted that the school had neither teachers nor a warden and lacked basic facilities despite receiving government grants. Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal also held the state government accountable, alleging administrative negligence and corruption under the Mahayuti government. “If three girls die of snakebite in a hostel, it is an extremely unfortunate incident. But was the Tribal Development Department sleeping? Was the hostel receiving its regular grant?
The government has also decided to undertake a third-party audit of over 500 ‘ashram’ or residential schools for tribal children functioning in the state, according to officials. He said around 50 girls were sleeping on the floor when the snake entered the hostel and that there was no warden present at the time.
The supervisor responsible for visiting the Japtalai school once a month will also be suspended for allegedly failing to record the institution’s poor condition in the visit book, the minister said and assured a detailed investigation. The government must take responsibility for this,” Sapkal said. He said cancelling the school’s licence alone would not absolve the government of responsibility, arguing that the administration must ensure proper facilities and safety at all aided institutions.
