An eight-year-old Dalit student was allegedly beaten and subjected to caste-based abuse by a government school teacher in Madhya Pradesh’s Shivpuri district after he drank water from the teacher’s bottle, prompting police to register a case under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The alleged incident took place at a government primary school in Ukawal village under Kolaras tehsil, where the Class 4 student had reportedly taken water from the bottle of his teacher, Lokesh Sharma, after feeling thirsty during school hours.
According to the complaint, the teacher became enraged after seeing the child drink from his bottle. The student alleged that the teacher used a caste slur, saying, “You Chamar, don’t touch my bottle,” before assaulting him with a stick inside the classroom.
The Chamar community is one of the largest Scheduled Caste communities in Madhya Pradesh and has historically faced caste-based discrimination.
Student Returned Home Crying
After the alleged assault, the child returned home in tears and narrated the incident to his family. Shocked by his account, family members approached the police and lodged a complaint against the teacher.
This story was originally published in theobserverpost.com. Read the full story here.