This Article is From Sep 27, 2022

Violent Protests Over Death Of UP Dalit Teen, Accused Teacher On The Run

The boy was allegedly thrashed by his school teacher Ashwini Singh, reportedly from an upper caste, on September 7 just because he had made a spelling error in a social science test at the school.

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India News Reported by , Edited by
Achhalda:

A 15-year-Dalit boy in Uttar Pradesh died after he was allegedly beaten by a teacher over a spelling mistake earlier this month. Amid violent protests over the death, the police are searching for the teacher, Ashwini Singh.

On September 7, Nikhit Dohre was struck with a stick and a rod and kicked until he fell unconscious after he misspelt the word "social" in an exam, according to his father's complaint to the police.

The teacher, belonging to an upper caste community, first gave Rs 10,000 for Nikhit's treatment and then Rs 30,000 more, but later stopped responding to phone calls, according to the complaint. The teen's father says when he confronted the teacher, he was abused with casteist slurs.

Nikhit died of his injuries on Monday.

His family initially refused to cremate his body, demanding the teacher's arrest.

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Members of the political outfit Bhim Army sat on protest outside the school last night. The protest soon turned violent, with some people setting a police jeep on fire. They also allegedly threw stones at policemen.

The boy's family finally agreed to take Nikhit's body to their village for cremation after officials assured them of swift action.

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Police told NDTV that the protest was organised by the Bhim Army but those who resorted to violence were "miscreants".

The police have included sections of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act in the First Information Report, or FIR.

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