A disturbing classroom video recently spread rapidly across social media and triggered strong reactions online. The clip appeared to show a tuition teacher physically assaulting a student inside a classroom while other students watched silently from their benches. As the footage circulated, many users demanded action and tagged the Delhi Police in their posts.
The teacher seen in the video was identified online as Sumit Sehgal. Soon after backlash intensified, however, Sehgal released a clarification video alongside the student and the student’s father. According to them, the viral clip was not real violence but a staged skit meant to recreate how some teachers from older generations used corporal punishment in classrooms.
What the viral classroom video showed
The now-viral clip was reportedly recorded inside a tuition classroom at Sumit’s Academy in Delhi’s Kalkaji area.
In the footage, several students can be seen sitting on benches while one student sits separately on the floor near the front of the classroom. As the video continues, a man identified as Sehgal appears to physically beat the student repeatedly while also verbally abusing him.
The clip quickly spread across different social media platforms and triggered widespread criticism online because many viewers believed the incident was genuine.
(India TV has not independently verified the video)
Teacher and student claim the video was a skit
After the backlash grew, another video surfaced online featuring the teacher, the student and later the student’s father.
In the clarification clip, the student says he studies at Sumit’s Academy and is the same person shown in the viral video.
“I want to say that Sumit sir is very good and in the video, Sumit sir was teaching us how teachers used to react in older days. So, it’s completely a fake video and please don’t rely on it.”
As the student finishes speaking in the clip, he looks towards Sehgal.
The teacher then explains that the video was meant to recreate older teaching methods.
“The very old teachers… 20 years ago… how they used to react.. It was an act of that.”
Pointing towards the student, Sehgal further says, “No harm came to him and I can never harm a student. My students study happily, and I have no issues with them.”
He then introduces the student’s father in the same video.
“Hi friends, my name is Kapil Sharma, I am Harsh’s father,” the man says.
He continues, “I am a bit surprised… why people are happy with this cheap publicity or what they will gain out of it. Because, I know Sumit for a long time.”
According to Sharma, Sehgal’s teaching has helped improve his son’s personality development.
“The video was just to show how students were treated earlier. Please don’t rely on this video… It is a completely unreliable video,” he adds.
Internet users say they are still unconvinced
Even after the clarification video was released, many social media users said they still found the original footage deeply disturbing.
Several people claimed the first clip looked more believable than the explanation video that followed later.
“Are they going to read or learn acting? And how much money did you pay to lie on camera?” one user commented online.
Another person wrote, “They have definitely scared him to do it. You think this scum would pay money for something like this?”
A third user commented, “He failed as a father, couldn't protect his son, now he will be insecure all his life. No amount of money could fix that.”
One lengthy reaction online also raised concerns about the mental impact the incident may have had on other students present in the classroom.
“Yeah, they definitely managed it internally and are now making a scripted video. But what about the bystanders who were utterly traumatised by that incident? The students who were present or attended his classes have been equally traumatised, and the fear has been instilled in their minds. Who will take accountability for mental stability? Fine if the guy who got beaten has no issues now, but what about the reparations that need to be paid to other fellow students who probably went through a mental turmoil watching that unfold and probably think ‘this might happen with me someday’.”
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