Image courtesy: Times of India
In yet another example of Dalit students being physically abused by so-called “upper caste” teachers, an eight-year-old Dalit girl was assaulted so severely that she ended up with a broken arm. The incident took place on August 31 at a government run primary school in Firozabad.
This incident comes just weeks after the death of a9-year-old Dalit boy from Rajasthan, who was beaten mercilessly by his teacher for touching a pot of water meant for “upper caste” people.
In the Firozabad case, the girl’s father told the Times of India, “My child’s hand has been fractured. She is traumatised and is not eating properly.”
But the matter did not end there. When the parents of the girl confronted the teacher, he allegedly hurled casteist slurs at them. The father told the publication, “When my wife and I went to the school to complain about the brutal beating, the accused teacher started abusing us with casteist slurs. He threatened us and asked us to leave.”
At first, the local police did not entertain any complaints from the parents, forcing them to file a complaint with the office of the sub-divisional magistrate on Tuesday. After SDM Adesh Kumar Sagar passed orders, a First Information Report (FIR) was filed at the Pachokhara police station under IPC sections 323 (causing hurt), 325 (grievous hurt), 504 (insult to provoke breach of peace), and sections of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Deputy SP Hari Mohan Singh told TOI, “The child will be medically examined. The accused teacher has been called for questioning.”
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