Negligence Shocks Pune: Nearly 20 Kids Shut Inside Anganwadi, No Staff Present
Pimpri-Chinchwad, 27th November 2025: A disturbing video from Hinjawadi has ignited widespread anger after it showed nearly 20 children trapped inside an Anganwadi classroom with no adult in sight. The clip—circulated widely across social media platforms—captures terrified toddlers sobbing and calling out, prompting immediate questions about safety standards in government-run childcare centres.
The incident took place at Anganwadi No. 3, where children aged between three and six were reportedly locked inside for close to an hour, between 11 a.m. and noon on Tuesday. What should have been a routine day of early education quickly turned into a frightening ordeal, with the young children left alone and unsupervised.
Preliminary findings suggest that Anganwadi worker Savita Shinde and helper Shilpa Sakhare had stepped out to attend a meeting at the Gram Panchayat office—an interaction called by a former Sarpanch. Their decision to bolt the door from outside, leaving the children unattended, has sparked widespread criticism and raised serious concerns about the judgment of staff entrusted with child welfare.
Residents who came across the locked centre raised an alarm and contacted the Mulshi Panchayat Samiti. Acting swiftly, Child Development Department official Dhanraj Giram instructed the workers to leave the meeting and return immediately to unlock the premises. All the children were released safely soon after.
But the outrage hasn’t cooled. Parents are preparing to lodge formal complaints, and officials from the Child Development Department are expected to launch a detailed probe. Disciplinary action against the workers appears imminent, with many questioning how such a lapse could occur in a system meant to provide secure, nurturing spaces for young children.
The episode has renewed scrutiny of Anganwadi operations in the region and reignited demands for tighter monitoring and stronger accountability mechanisms to prevent such negligence in the future.
