In Uttar Pradesh’s Manipuri district, a 14-year-old Dalit student was allegedly assaulted and abused with casteist slurs by a teacher and a school official after a water pipe broke at the school. The incident occurred on January 30 in the Kurawali area, leaving the student with injuries on his back and limbs, making it difficult for him to walk. He was reportedly also told to “stay away from the school” by the accused.
The victim told police, “I was feeling thirsty, so I went to drink water and noticed that the pipe of the water tank was broken. I kept pleading that I did not break it, but nobody listened. I was beaten, abused with casteist slurs, and threatened with death if seen again on the school’s premises.”
The student’s elder brother filed a complaint against school committee member Rajeev Verma and the class teacher, Sukhbir Singh. Following the complaint, police registered an FIR under sections 115 (voluntarily causing hurt), 352 (intentional insult designed to provoke breach of peace), and 351 (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe Act.
The family stated that their son was unfairly targeted and that another student had damaged the pipe. Rajeev Verma denied the allegations, saying, “This is a false case against me. I wasn’t even there. The class teacher could be present. I’m not aware. I’ll soon meet the police officers, and I hope there’ll be a fair probe.”
