Nineteen days after he was allegedly beaten mercilessly by his school teacher, a 15-year-old Dalit student from the Auraiya district of Uttar Pradesh died on the morning of Monday, 26 September. The incident has irked members of the Dalit community, who have taken to the streets to demand justice.
The boy, Nikhit Dohre, was assaulted on 7 September by his Social Science teacher, Ashwini Singh, allegedly because he spelt a word incorrectly during an exam.
The victim’s father has alleged that Singh, purportedly belonging to an upper caste, beat the minor with sticks and rods, and kicked him until he fell unconscious.
The father of the victim has also alleged that the the teacher first gave Rs 10,000 for the boy's treatment and then a further Rs 30,000 but later stopped receiving his phone calls, and when he confronted the teacher, he was abused with casteist slurs, news channel NDTV reported, citing the father’s official complaint.
The boy was taken to a specialised hospital in Etawah district, where he later succumbed to his injuries.
The incident has created angst in the Dalit community, with members of the Bhim Army allegedly resorting to arson and stone pelting. Police vehicles were also set ablaze amid the protests.
A case has also been filed against 200 unknown persons on charges of creating nuisance, and 35 people have been booked under even more serious charges.
The district administration has also deployed additional forces in the village where the incident happened to keep the situation under control, The Hindu reported.
Further, three teams have been formed to nab the accused and the body of the deceased has been sent for post-mortem.
(With inputs from NDTV and The Hindu.)
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