Indra Meghwal, a student of a private school in Jalore district's Surana village, was beaten by his teacher on July 20. The incident has triggered a row, with family members claiming that the boy was thrashed as he was a Dalit while the teacher belonged to the upper caste.
Treatment at six different hospitals over 23 days could not save the life of the nine-year-old Dalit boy who was allegedly thrashed by his school teacher in Rajasthan for touching a drinking water pot, according to information shared by the National Commission for Scheduled Caste.
Indra Meghwal, a student of a private school in Jalore district's Surana village, was beaten by his teacher on July 20. The incident has triggered a row, with family members claiming that the boy was thrashed as he was a Dalit while the teacher belonged to the upper caste.
The Social Justice and Empowerment department of Rajasthan's Jalore district shared the police report with the NCSC after the latter sought explanation from the state government over the matter.
The boy's father and uncle recounted the incident in the police report. The boy succumbed to his injuries at a hospital in Ahmedabad on August 13.
According to the police report shared by the NCSC, Meghwal was thirsty and tried to drink water from the pot meant for the head of institution. Seeing that, the teacher started beating the boy due to which he fell and started bleeding from his ears.
His father has a repair shop in front of the school where Meghwal came narrated the incident while complaining of ear pain, the report said.
Devaram Meghwal took his son to Bajrang hospital in Bagoda the next day where he was treated but after two days the pain in his ear again started following which the boy's father rushed him to Aastha multi-speciality hospital in Bhinmal where he was admitted for a day, it said.
After the pain in the ear did not subside, Devaram took his son to a third hospital – Triveni Multispeciality Hospital & Trauma Centre in Bhinmal where the boy was admitted for another two days. When there was no reduction in pain, the family of the boy was advised to consult another hospital in Gujarat, the report said.
The father then took the boy to a fourth hospital – Karni hospital in Deesa. Here, the report said he was treated for a day and then was taken again to Triveni hospital but when the boy's pain did not subside even then, he went to the fifth hospital – a neurological centre where his treatment went on for six days.
When the pain didn't subside, the boy was then taken to Geetanjali hospital in Udaipur and finally was referred to civil hospital in Ahmedabad where the boy died, it said. NCSC chairperson Vijay Sampla said it is clear that seeing the serious condition of the boy, he was referred from hospital to another.
"The serious condition of the boy cannot be because of a single slap so we have asked the state government to tell what actually happened. Earlier also we have seen videos of discrimination against the people from backward caste from the state and we have sought from the state government explanation over such incidents," he said.
The police have arrested the teacher, Chail Singh, 40, and charged him with murder and also booked him under sections of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
(With PTI Inputs)