Ballia: 7-yr-old hops 400 m to school on one leg, gets help after video goes viral

A seven-year-old girl who hops nearly 400 metres on one leg to reach school, sometimes sitting down in exhaustion and tears along the way, has received help from the Ballia district administration after a video of her struggle went viral on social media.

Ragini, a Class 1 student of Ranipur village in the Manier area, has one severely damaged leg and faces the difficult journey to Digheda primary school, despite it being just 400 metres from her home.

On Wednesday, the administration reached out to her, providing two tricycles, books, a schoolbag, toys and chocolates, while promising medical assistance and steps to improve the road leading to her village.

Ragini’s mother Babita Devi told PTI that her daughter’s leg was badly injured in an accident when she was six months old. Despite treatment at several places, the leg could not be saved, while the family’s poor financial condition prevented them from pursuing better treatment.

Babita said Ragini often cries when she sees other children carrying schoolbags and tells her mother that she too wants to study. Sometimes family members drop her at school, while at other times she makes the journey hopping on one leg. “I want to study too,” Babita quoted Ragini as saying.

Headmaster Ajit Pal said Ragini’s damaged leg made it difficult for her to travel to school.

After the video surfaced, district magistrate Mangla Prasad Singh on Tuesday, 1 September sent the district empowerment officer for persons with disabilities and a doctor to assess her condition. On Wednesday, he visited Ragini’s home with officials and spoke to her mother and grandfather.

Singh told PTI that the administration would ensure that Ragini’s education was not disrupted and that she received all eligible government assistance. He also directed that she undergo a medical examination and said efforts would be made to arrange appropriate treatment for her leg.

The district magistrate also inspected the poor condition of the village road and directed officials to repair it at the earliest. The administration also informed Ragini’s family that funds had been sanctioned for the construction of a toilet at their home.

With PTI inputs