A nine-year-old boy, belonging to the oppressed Dalit caste, died on Sunday after being allegedly beaten by his teacher for drinking water from his pot in a private school. The incident took place in Surana village of India’s western Rajasthan state.

The police have arrested 40-year-old Chail Singh and booked him for murder and under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

The incident occurred on July 20 when the boy, Indra Meghwal, suffered a serious injury to his face and became unconscious after receiving the thrashing.

He was then taken to the district hospital from where he was referred to a hospital in Udaipur. But his condition remained fragile even after a week’s treatment. The family then decided to take him to neighbouring Ahmedabad city in Gujarat, but he succumbed to his injuries.

The photo of the boy with swollen eyes and an injured nose flooded social media on Sunday, where people expressed outrage at the incident.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
While nation celebrates Azadi ka Amrit Mohatsav, a 9-yr-old scheduled caste child fights between life and death. The child named Indra Meghwal was miserablely beaten by caste Hindu teacher as he drank water from a pot. This is Cong RSS Raj in Rajasthan.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AzadiKaAmritMahotsav?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AzadiKaAmritMahotsav</a> <a href="https://t.co/fz020pWcMH">pic.twitter.com/fz020pWcMH</a>
— Varun Chinna (@varunchinnaa) <a href="https://twitter.com/varunchinnaa/status/1558735618426822656?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 14, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

The state education department has initiated an inquiry and Rajasthan Scheduled Caste Commission chairman Khiladi Lal Bairwa ordered that it be taken up under the case officer's scheme for fast investigation.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has asked the authorities to take stringent action against the accused and announced Rs 500,000 ex-gratia to the victim’s families.

"We have filed a case against the teacher, Chail Singh, under section 302 of the IPC and the SC/ST Act and have arrested him," Superintendent of Police of Jalore district, Harsh Vardhan Agarwalla, told PTI news agency.

The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party has sought strict action against the school administration and it’s recognition be rescinded.

“This is first such incident where a Dalit boy died after he was beaten up by a teacher in private school for touching a drinking water pot. The BJP demands that immediate action should be taken so that such incidents do not reoccur,” BJP spokesperson and MLA Ramlal Sharma was quoted as saying.

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe>

A nine-year-old boy, belonging to the oppressed Dalit caste, died on Sunday after being allegedly beaten by his teacher for drinking water from his pot in a private school.

A nine-year-old boy, belonging to the oppressed Dalit caste, died on Sunday after being allegedly beaten by his teacher for drinking water from his pot in a private school. The incident took place in Surana village of India’s western Rajasthan state. The police have arrested 40-year-old Chail Singh and booked him for murder and under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The incident occurred on July 20 when the boy, Indra Meghwal, suffered a serious injury to his face and became unconscious after receiving the thrashing. He was then taken to the district hospital from where he was referred to a hospital in Udaipur. But his condition remained fragile even after a week’s treatment. The family then decided to take him to neighbouring Ahmedabad city in Gujarat, but he succumbed to his injuries. The photo of the boy with swollen eyes and an injured nose flooded social media on Sunday, where people expressed outrage at the incident. While nation celebrates Azadi ka Amrit Mohatsav, a 9-yr-old scheduled caste child fights between life and death. The child named Indra Meghwal was miserablely beaten by caste Hindu teacher as he drank water from a pot. This is Cong RSS Raj in Rajasthan.#AzadiKaAmritMahotsav pic.twitter.com/fz020pWcMH — Varun Chinna (@varunchinnaa) August 14, 2022 × The state education department has initiated an inquiry and Rajasthan Scheduled Caste Commission chairman Khiladi Lal Bairwa ordered that it be taken up under the case officer's scheme for fast investigation. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has asked the authorities to take stringent action against the accused and announced Rs 500,000 ex-gratia to the victim’s families. "We have filed a case against the teacher, Chail Singh, under section 302 of the IPC and the SC/ST Act and have arrested him," Superintendent of Police of Jalore district, Harsh Vardhan Agarwalla, told PTI news agency. The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party has sought strict action against the school administration and it’s recognition be rescinded. “This is first such incident where a Dalit boy died after he was beaten up by a teacher in private school for touching a drinking water pot. The BJP demands that immediate action should be taken so that such incidents do not reoccur,” BJP spokesperson and MLA Ramlal Sharma was quoted as saying. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE

India: 9-year-old Dalit boy dies after being beaten up by teacher for drinking water from his pot

India must overhaul its antiquated laws and cumbersome legal system which are increasingly being misused to silence dissent in the Hindu majority country, a global writers&#39; group said in a report on Monday. 
 
Hardline Hindu groups have been accused of fomenting intolerance of religious and other minorities since nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi swept to power at general elections in 2014. &nbsp; 
 
Pen International said a survey of authors, lawyers, activists and journalists this year found that this &quot;culture of intolerance has taken root in India and has grown more menacing&quot;. 
 
Defamation, sedition and those laws pertaining to hate speech were being misused by &quot;intolerant individuals and groups&quot; to severely restrict freedom of expression, it said. 
 
&quot;Their (those surveyed) accounts suggest that the unchecked abuse of India&#39;s vague and overbroad legislation, and its inefficient legal system, have helped to create a chill within Indian society and throughout its public sphere,&quot; the report, also by PEN Canada and the University of Toronto&#39;s law faculty, said. 
 
A student union leader at a prestigious New Delhi university was arrested and charged with sedition earlier this year for allegedly shouting anti-India slogans. 
 
The arrest brought thousands of students and teachers onto the streets in protest and fuelled mounting concern about freedom of speech.&nbsp; 
 
The British-era sedition law carries a maximum penalty of life in prison. Prosecutions are rare but it has frequently been used against critics of the government of the day. 
 
Several authors last year returned a prestigious award in protest at what they called government inaction over the murder of atheist scholars and the lynching of a Muslim man suspected of eating beef. 
 
Those interviewed for the report also spoke of endless harassment and threats, particularly online, to silence criticism. 
 
The report said writers and journalists now faced frequent &quot;implied and direct threats&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Some face more immediate violence from the groups and individuals who wish to silence them. These censors are seldom reprimanded, much less prosecuted,&quot; it said.&nbsp; 
 
(AFP)

Pen International survey finds sedition & hate speech laws are being misused by 'intolerant individuals and groups'

India must overhaul its antiquated laws and cumbersome legal system which are increasingly being misused to silence dissent in the Hindu majority country, a global writers' group said in a report on Monday. Hardline Hindu groups have been accused of fomenting intolerance of religious and other minorities since nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi swept to power at general elections in 2014. Pen International said a survey of authors, lawyers, activists and journalists this year found that this "culture of intolerance has taken root in India and has grown more menacing". Defamation, sedition and those laws pertaining to hate speech were being misused by "intolerant individuals and groups" to severely restrict freedom of expression, it said. "Their (those surveyed) accounts suggest that the unchecked abuse of India's vague and overbroad legislation, and its inefficient legal system, have helped to create a chill within Indian society and throughout its public sphere," the report, also by PEN Canada and the University of Toronto's law faculty, said. A student union leader at a prestigious New Delhi university was arrested and charged with sedition earlier this year for allegedly shouting anti-India slogans. The arrest brought thousands of students and teachers onto the streets in protest and fuelled mounting concern about freedom of speech. The British-era sedition law carries a maximum penalty of life in prison. Prosecutions are rare but it has frequently been used against critics of the government of the day. Several authors last year returned a prestigious award in protest at what they called government inaction over the murder of atheist scholars and the lynching of a Muslim man suspected of eating beef. Those interviewed for the report also spoke of endless harassment and threats, particularly online, to silence criticism. The report said writers and journalists now faced frequent "implied and direct threats". "Some face more immediate violence from the groups and individuals who wish to silence them. These censors are seldom reprimanded, much less prosecuted," it said. (AFP)

Growing 'culture of intolerance' in India: Writers' group

india-dalits

India Dalits, News on India Dalits, stories on India Dalits, articles on India Dalits, India Dalits stories at Wion, India Dalits news, India Dalits latest news

india dalits

India: 9-year-old Dalit boy dies after being beaten up by teacher for drinking water from his pot

Growing 'culture of intolerance' in India: Writers' group