Murga (also spelled Murgha) is a stress position used as a corporal punishment mainly in parts of the Indian subcontinent (specifically Northern India, Pakistan and Bangladesh). It is used primarily in educational institutions on students of both sexes usually by female teachers, and occasionally by the police as a summary, informal punishment for petty crime. The punishment is usually administered in public view, the purpose being to halt the offence by inflicting pain, deter recurrence of the offence by shaming the offender and providing a salutary example to others.