A day after a video from the news channel went viral showing children allegedly risking their lives to attend school in Jagmin, in Satara, the local administration has refuted the claims, calling the footage misleading and factually incorrect.
The video featured students shown walking along a risky route on pipe, supposedly to attend an Anganwadi center. However, a press note issued by the Satara Panchayat Samiti clarified that the children seen in the clip are students of the Zila Parishad Primary School in Jagmin, not Anganwadi beneficiaries.
Under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme, two Anganwadi centers operate in the Chalkewadi area. One of them—Chalkewadi-Jagmin Vasti 43—has only four registered beneficiaries aged 3–6 years and no current enrolment of pregnant women, lactating mothers, or children below three years of age.
Staged video
The new building for the said Anganwadi was completed in October 2023 but is yet to be formally taken over. Plans to construct a permanent RCC bridge at the Tarli river and a Sakav bridge over the Thoseghar waterfall are underway. Proposals amounting to ₹1.5 crore have already been submitted by Public Works Minister Shivendrasinhraje Bhosale for inclusion in the District Annual Plan 2025–26.
In the meantime, the Anganwadi is being run from an old school classroom. Parents have submitted written statements confirming that their children face no difficulties reaching the school and are not required to walk on any unsafe paths.
Officials further alleged that the video circulating online was staged—filmed after school hours on Saturday by calling students specifically for shooting. “This is not a true representation of their school journey. It is extremely dangerous to put children at risk in this way just to create viral content,” said the press note signed by Group Development Officer Satish Buddhe.
The Satara administration has condemned the act and appealed to both citizens and media persons to refrain from endangering minor children for sensational reporting.
