Bandung, Indonesia Sentinel — A 14 years old student in Deli Serdang, North Sumatra, Rindu Syahputra Sinaga, has died after getting punished with 100 squat jumps allegedly enforced by his teacher. According to his mother, Yuliana Padang, the excessive physical discipline led to her son’s severe illness, eventually resulting in his death.
The incident began on Thursday, September 19, when Rindu was punished with 100 squats by his teacher for not memorizing a lesson. Upon returning home, he complained of pain in his legs. The following day, his condition worsened as he developed a high fever.
“He was punished by his teacher on Thursday. When he got home, he told me his legs hurt. By Friday, he had a high fever. On Saturday, he couldn’t go to school because he was in too much pain,” Yuliana told, as reported by Detik on Saturday, September 28.
Worried about her son’s deteriorating condition, Yuliana took him to a local clinic. In addition to his fever, his legs had become swollen. Days later, as Rindu’s health declined further, Yuliana informed the school that her son would be absent due to his illness.
On Tuesday, September 24, she sought medical attention again, and the clinic referred Rindu to Sembiring General Hospital in Deli Tua. Tragically, on the morning of Thursday, September 26, Rindu was pronounced dead.
“On Wednesday, my son’s condition worsened, so I took him back to the clinic. They referred him to the hospital, and by Thursday morning, just before 7 a.m., he was gone,” Yuliana explained.
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Before his death, Rindu had confided in his mother, revealing that his teacher had imposed the punishment of 100 squat jumps because he failed to memorize the assigned material. Yuliana said that her son had expressed a wish for the teacher to face legal consequences to prevent similar incidents from happening to other students.
Yuliana expressed frustration, noting that the school has yet to take action regarding her son’s death. She also went to the police to file a report but was told an autopsy would be required. Fearing the trauma of an autopsy on her son’s body, Yuliana declined to proceed with the legal complaint.
“I couldn’t bear the thought of my son’s body being opened up for an autopsy,” Yuliana explained, stating her hesitation in filing the report. Nevertheless, she hopes the case will still be investigated, as she doesn’t want another child to suffer the same fate.
“We plead with the authorities to investigate this case so that something like this doesn’t happen again. Let my son be the last,” Yuliana concluded.
The family is calling for legal action to be taken against the teacher and for greater accountability from the school. This incident regarding a student who died after getting punished by teachers has sparked concern about the use of excessive punishment in schools, raising questions about student safety and well-being.
(Raidi/Agung)
