Taking cognizance of the killing of a Dalit boy by his school teacher for drinking from a pot of water meant for him in Rajasthan’s Jalore district, the National Commission for Scheduled Castes on Sunday issued notice to the State government and State police and appointed one of its members to visit the spot for an investigation.
Vijay Sampla, Chairman, NCSC, on Sunday said Member Subhash Ramnath Pardhi had been assigned to visit the spot to begin the investigation on August 16. “We will investigate this case very seriously and after investigation will ensure strict action against the guilty,” Mr. Sampla said.
Earlier in the day, the Chairman said that the Commission had received a letter from Bharatiya Janata Party National General Secretary Tarun Chugh, seeking that the NCSC form a team to visit the spot and investigate the matter.
Mr. Chugh sought the strictest action against the accused teacher and said that he should be charged with murder and violation of the SC/ST Act.
School teacher arrested
The Rajasthan Police said that they have arrested the nine-year-old boy’s school teacher for the murder. They added that the boy had gone to drink from a pot of water that was purportedly meant for the teacher on July 20, following which he was beaten up by him. The boy succumbed to his injuries on August 13 while being treated. The incident took place at a private school in Sayla village.
The police have said that they have registered a case under the relevant section for murder and the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Mr. Sampla said the Action Taken Report has been sought as soon as possible. He added, “The preliminary report prepared by our Member, Mr. Pardhi will be looked into. We also need to discuss and find out why in 2022, a school teacher had a different pot for him to drink water out of.”
He told The Hindu, “After this incident became public, we have received complaints over the phone that in many schools in the State, Dalit children are discriminated against. We will verify these allegations and take action accordingly as well.”
