Murgha (also spelled murga) (Hindi: मुर्गा) (Urdu: مرغا); is a stress position used as a punishment in parts of South Asia, (such as Northern India and sometimes in Pakistan) primarily in educational institutions,[1] and by the police who use it as a punishment for petty crimes and eve teasing (sexual harassment), usually administered in public-view.[2][3][4][5]
Murgh or Murgha means Rooster (literally "male adult chicken") in Urdu and Hindi. This is a punishment in which the punished person takes the position of a "murgha".[6] This is done by squatting, and then bringing the arms between the legs and firmly holding the ears. It can become very painful after a few minutes, and can also be used as a position for spanking, though it is rarely used. Over the years, corporal punishment has been banned in schools in Pakistan and the punishment is rarely, if ever used.
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There are many variants of the murgha punishment. Some of them are:
In the standing murgha, the person is required to position the buttocks as high as possible. This is considered a severe punishment and can become very painful after about 10 minutes. When the punished person tries to bring down his buttocks, he is spanked by the administrator usually done by a ruler.
In sitting murgha, the person is allowed to rest on his arms, i.e the buttocks can be brought down. This is milder than the standing Murgha, and can be bearable for longer durations. This punishment is given when the administrator wants to punish a person for a longer time. After some time this leads to giddiness.
In murgha parade, the person has to walk while in the standing or sitting murgha position. A longer distance can be covered in the standing murgha position, but it is extremely tiring for legs, hands and back. This punishment can be made harsher by making the person parade under the sun. If done properly, it will hurt the ears also, because of irregular movements.
In this kind of punishment, the person is asked to move his buttocks from the higher position (as in Standing Murga) to lower (as in Sitting Murga) and vice-versa every 5-6 seconds.This is a very severe form; the legs start trembling after about 40 sways and becomes unbearable after 70-75 sways. There is also another similar variant in which the punished continuously sways his buttocks from higher to lower position; this is extremely severe form - it's impossible to do more than 75 sways.
In this the heels of the person should remain in contact. It can also be either sitting or standing. This is a very severe form of murgha.