In Visakhapatnam, a coastal city in southern India's Andhra Pradesh state, the tragic death of six-year-old student Pranay Teja has reignited debates over corporal punishment in schools. The incident occurred when Teja was slapped by his kindergarten teacher for failing to complete his homework. Despite a ban on corporal punishment since 2010, incidents like these continue to occur, particularly in low-income and marginalized communities. The Indian Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE) of 2009 prohibits physical punishment and mental harassment, but enforcement remains lax, with cases often dismissed as minor disciplinary issues. Historian Ruchika Sharma suggests that the practice predates British rule, rooted in India's caste system, and the British merely normalised and systematized it within the education system. The judiciary's reluctance to prosecute teachers further complicates efforts to eradicate corporal punishment. The tragic death of Pranay Teja serves as a poignant reminder of the need for stricter enforcement of laws prohibiting corporal punishment and a reevaluation of the systemic factors that perpetuate this harmful practice in Indian schools.