A girl, interrupted: Why a critically ill 14-year-old is at heart of tribal protests in Maharashtra

In a remote tribal village in Maharashtra, a 14-year-old girl named Samruddhi is at the center of protests following a snakebite incident at her residential school. Six girls from Japtalai Ashram School were bitten by a common krait on August 10, three of whom sadly succumbed to their injuries, while two others recovered. Samruddhi herself is currently in critical condition at the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit at Government Medical College in Nagpur, battling intracranial bleeding that required brain surgery.

She continues to require ventilator assistance and remains in a fragile state, alternating between consciousness and unconsciousness. Her father Suresh Naitam has been by her side, refusing to leave her alone, while his wife Archana and other family members take turns to relieve him. Samruddhi's classmates, desperate for change, have been staging a hunger strike for 15 days, demanding better conditions in tribal schools.

The incident has brought attention to the poor living conditions in many tribal schools, with many students still sleeping and studying on the floor due to a lack of basic furniture. The Maharashtra Tribal Development Department launched the 'Kayapalat Abhiyan' in 2018-19 to address these issues, equipping government-run ashram schools and hostels with essential furniture.

However, the program did not cover privately managed ashram schools like Japtalai Ashram School, where Samruddhi studied. The school's license has now been permanently canceled, and the Nagpur Circle of the Tribal Development Department has begun inspections of 133 government-aided ashram schools in various districts. Maharashtra Tribal Development Minister Ashok Uike met with protesting tribal students in Pune, promising that the government is committed to addressing their concerns, including the snakebite deaths at Japtalai.