The death of a 9-year-old Dalit student named Indra Meghwal has stirred controversy in Rajasthan. In the media, it is being called a Savarna versus Dalit matter. Rajasthan Police is also taking action under the SC / ST Act in this case. The incident took place in the Jalore district.
Devaram Meghwal, the father of the deceased, reportedly claimed that on July 20, his son Indra had consumed water from his headmaster Chhail Singh’s earthen pot which was allegedly intended for upper caste people. After this, he was beaten up with lewd abuse, which led to his brain haemorrhage and he died during treatment 24 days later. Headmaster Chhail Singh has been arrested in this case. Action is being taken against him under the SC/ST Act.
But amidst all this, contradictory claims are also surfacing. According to the locals, the claim that the child was killed for drinking water from the earthen pot meant for upper castes is false. According to these people, there is only one water tank in the school, and students and teachers used to drink water from the same tank. They denied the claims that there are separate water tanks for upper caste and lower caste students.
Teachers reject the theory of caste-based discrimination
Teacher Gataram Meghwal works in the Saraswati School where the deceased kid was studying. The teacher belongs to the same caste as that of the victim Indra Meghwal. He told that he is teaching in the school for the last 7 to 8 years but never did he experience any discrimination. Even the younger pupils told that there is no earthen pot in the school and everyone consumes the water from the same tank.
The teacher told that the media has reported drinking water from the earthen pot as the reason for beating the kid, but in reality, there is no such discrimination in the school. There is only one water tank in the school and everyone including students and teachers consume the water from the same tank. He added that out of 8 staff members working in the school belong to SC or ST category, therefore, there is no question of discrimination on the basis of one’s caste.
An audio clip of a conversation appeared
As the investigations are going on to find out the truth in this case, audio has appeared in which the headmaster is heard conversing with the father of the deceased student. Even in this audio clip, there is no mention of drinking water from the earthen pot or the water tank. The headmaster is heard telling the father of Indra Meghwal that probably it was a bigger mistake the student committed which made him slap the kid.
The headmaster said, “I am admitting my mistake. I didn’t deliberately hit so hard. If the situation is that bad, I am ready to pay for the treatment. I apologize. I am also paying for it and what more can I do?”
In this audio, the kid’s father is heard quoting the doctor as he told the teacher that the boy’s head vein has been blocked and his hands and legs are not working. Nowhere in this audio did the father of the victim student mention drinking water from the earthen pot. He was heard talking of the earthen pot thing in some other video clip.
The exclusive audio call of the father of Inder Meghwal and Chail Singh clearly suggests that there is no angle of the water pot. In the audio, nowhere father said that he was beaten for drinking water. The kid was slapped for making a disturbance in the School. Propaganda burst! pic.twitter.com/TY1XBej8KU
— Shubham Sharma (@Shubham_fd) August 14, 2022
In that video clip, he had said, “My son Indra Kumar used to go to study in Saraswati School in Surana village. Chhail Singh works there. My son drank water from the earthen pot. Angry over this, Chhail Singh discriminated on the basis of caste. The teacher slapped him on the ear, causing a hemorrhage in his head and blocking the vein. I took the child to Deesa, Palanpur, and Udaipur. Later, I admitted him to a hospital in Ahmedabad, where he died. I will come to Sayla in Jalore on Sunday morning. I request Bhim Army, Bhim Sena, and everyone to come there and give justice to us. Jai Bhim”
Bhim Army protests on streets, stones pelted at police
The Bhim Army took to the streets after the Dalit student’s death and the call given by his father in the video. These protesters pelted stones at the police, after which the police lathi-charged them. The administration suspended internet services in the Jalore district in view of the deteriorating situation. The government has announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the family members. The family has demanded that the school be de-recognized, they should be given a compensation of Rs 50 lakh and one member of the family should get a government job.
The headmaster was named in this case even after he gave 1.5 lakhs
Apart from this, an elderly person was heard talking about this matter in the media. He talked about angles like children’s fights and said that after the boy’s condition worsened, his father had demanded Rs 5 lakh from headmaster Chhail Singh, but he could pay Rs 1.5 lakh.
Then there was a compromise between the headmaster and the parents who assured the headmaster that his name will not appear in this case. But all of a sudden this matter took a strange turn and the caste discrimination angle surfaced.
