Show-Cause Notice Issued After 82 Students Left Half-Bald as Discipline Measure
Around 82 students at a government tribal ashram school in Jambulghat, in Chimur taluka of Maharashtra’s Chandrapur district, were allegedly given half-shaved, patchy haircuts as punishment for playing around during a scheduled haircut session on Saturday, triggering anger among parents and demands for action.
What happened
Students at the school had been instructed to get their hair cut as part of a routine discipline measure. According to reports, the punishment was handed out after students allegedly misbehaved or played during the haircut session itself. As a consequence, around 82 students had their hair trimmed only halfway using trimmers, leaving them with a visibly uneven, half-bald appearance. Photos of the students in this condition were taken on Saturday afternoon and quickly went viral on social media, prompting a swift reaction.
Backlash and immediate response
The images sparked outrage among parents and on social media, with many calling the punishment degrading and disproportionate for what was, by most accounts, ordinary childhood misbehaviour. Following the backlash, officials ordered the school to fix the students’ haircuts on the same day.
The hostel superintendent reportedly defended the decision as being tied to hygiene concerns and delays caused by rain, but the school principal was not convinced, issuing the superintendent a show-cause notice over the incident.
Parents demand more than paperwork
Parents have said they are not satisfied with a show-cause notice alone and are calling for a full investigation and strict action against those responsible, arguing that this kind of punishment has no place in a school setting, particularly one meant to provide a safe and dignified environment for students from tribal communities.
Part of a broader pattern of concern at ashram schools
This incident adds to a string of recent controversies involving disciplinary practices and student welfare at Maharashtra’s ashram schools — residential institutions set up to provide free education and boarding to children from Scheduled Tribe and other disadvantaged communities. Earlier incidents at ashram schools in the state have included students being made to do 100 sit-ups as punishment in Palghar, as well as far more serious concerns raised over student safety and welfare at similar institutions, underscoring repeated calls from parents and activists for stronger oversight of discipline and care standards across the ashram school system.
The outcome of the show-cause notice and whether further action will be taken against school staff remains to be seen.
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