The death of a 15-year-Dalit boy, who was allegedly beaten by a teacher from his school in Uttar Pradesh’s Auraiya district, has sparked massive protests.
The boy was allegedly thrashed by his school teacher Ashwini Singh, reportedly from an upper caste, on September 7 just because he had made a spelling error in a social science test. The boy, Nikhit Dohre, died on Saturday night while being taken to a government hospital in a neighbouring district, and his body was handed over to his family last evening after a postmortem.
The family and members of political outfit Bhim Army had initially refused to cremate the body, demanding immediate arrest of the accused teacher – who is on the run. They staged a sit-in protest on the road outside the school in Achhalda area of the district where Nikhit studied.
The protest soon turned violent, with some infuriated locals staging a police jeep on fire. They also allegedly threw stones at the police personnel. The boy’s family and Bhim Army members agreed to take Nikhit’s body to their village for cremation after senior police officials – including Charu Nigam, Auraiya Superintendent of Police – rushed to the spot and assured them of a swift action. “Police teams have been formed to arrest the school teacher,” said Ms Nigam. The protest was organised by the Bhim Army, but people who resorted to violence were “miscreants”.
In a complaint to the police, the boy’s father claimed the teacher assaulted his son on September 7 with sticks, rods, and also kicked him till he fell unconscious after he spelt one word wrong during a social science test at the school.
The complaint states that the teacher first gave ₹ 10,000 for the boy’s treatment and then a further ₹ 30,000, but later stopped receiving his phone calls. The boy’s father says when he confronted the teacher, he was abused with casteist slurs.
Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh police registered a case and launched an investigation. Moreover, a team of police officials were also formed to nab the teacher, who has been accused of beating the boy.
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