When a Mock Test Turns into a Death Sentence: A Letter from a Rebel in the Education System
- Prateek Khanna
- Jun 24
- 4 min read
A 17-year-old girl. Bright. Scored 92.6% in her Class 10 exams. Like many Indian students, she was preparing for NEET — a pressure cooker of a test that often reduces brilliant young minds to anxious wrecks. Sadhna Bhonsle from Sangli, Maharashtra, scored low in a mock test. Her father, a school principal, lost his temper. He beat her so badly that she didn’t survive.
A mock test became a death sentence. A father, a teacher himself, became her executioner.And a system that confuses tests with worth, played silent witness yet again.
As someone who rebelled against this very system, I’m shattered.
If not for my own family — who never tied my worth to a mark sheet, who allowed me to question, to fall, to rise, and to be me — I might not be writing this today. I might have been another Sadhna. Not literally perhaps, but in a thousand emotional deaths — deaths of curiosity, identity, confidence, and hope — that our system often inflicts without blood.
The Madness of Our Metrics
When did we decide that a child’s future is locked inside a bubble of ranks and cut-offs?When did parents start seeing themselves not as nurturers but as performance managers?When did school principals forget that education is supposed to enlighten, not extinguish?
It’s a mock test. Mock means practice. Mock means room to fail, to learn, to grow. What kind of twisted culture have we built where even a practice score becomes a death warrant?
This Isn’t Just One Man’s Crime
Dhondiram Bhonsle is in police custody, as he should be. But what about the society that built him? What about the culture that told him his daughter’s score was a reflection of his parenting? What about the system that normalizes humiliation, violence, and psychological warfare in the name of excellence?
We, the alumni of institutions like DMET, must speak up. We were once kids too. Some of us had families who understood, others didn’t — and we carry those scars even now. Many of us are parents today. We must choose a different way.
Beating Dreams into Corpses
Sadhna’s death is not just a tragedy. It is a wake-up call. For every household that mocks failure. For every coaching center that equates worth with rank. For every adult who thinks children must be broken to become strong.
She should’ve been applying to colleges next year.She should’ve been making memories with her friends.She should’ve been allowed to fall, fail, and try again.
Instead, she lies still, and our silence would make us complicit.
Let’s Pledge This as DMETians
Let’s be the kind of parents who raise listeners, not rank-seekers.
Let’s be mentors who nurture mental health along with ambition.
Let’s be a community that stands for life beyond marks.
Because no dream — no rank, no seat, no career — is worth a child’s life.
Rest in power, Sadhna. We are sorry the world failed you.
Disclaimer: This blog reflects my personal views, born out of deep anguish. While it may echo recent events, it is not inspired by any group or individual, and should be read with empathy, not accusation. I respect every parent, teacher, senior, and junior who believes in nurturing with love. Sponsored Advert
How Active Sailors Can Be Better Parents
As sailors, we face long periods away from home — but distance doesn’t have to mean disconnection. Here’s how we can strive to be better parents, even while at sea:
Prioritise Emotional Connection Over Academic PressureInstead of asking, “How much did you score?”, ask “How do you feel about what you learned?” Encourage curiosity over competition.
Use Technology to Stay Involved: With video calls, emails, and voice messages, make your presence felt. A small “I’m proud of you” can carry a child through the toughest day.
Never Equate Worth with Marks: Teach your child that they are loved for who they are, not what they achieve. Praise effort and growth, not just outcomes.
Share Your Own Failures and Lessons: Let them know even their sailor parent failed once, struggled, learned, and stood up again. Vulnerability creates safety.
