In a shocking incident, a 17-year-old Dalit was severely beaten with sticks and hurled with casteist slurs over his haircut by teachers in UP's Bulandshahr.


The boy, a Class-12 student, returned home with head wounds which required stitches and fractures in both hand, Times of India reported. Following this, eight teachers of the school were booked.


The alleged incident happened on January 25, and initially the parents compromised due to pressure. However, the matter came to light on Friday, when the victim's parents filed an FIR due to continous threat by the accused. They have claimed that the accused even tried to stop their ward from appearing in his ongoing UP board exams, which began Feb-end.


Circle officer Shobit Kumar said, as reported by TOI, "An FIR was registered under sections 191 (2) (rioting), 110 (culpable homicide), 115 (2), 117 (4) (voluntarily causing hurt) of BNS, and 3 (1) (2) SC/ST Act against Sonu Kumar, Vipin Kumar, Deepak Kumar, Manoj Kumar (I), Manoj Kumar (II), Yogesh Kumar, Yogendra and Prashant on March 5." He added that further probe is on and action will be taken accordingly. "The student is in stable condition and appearing in his exams", he said.


The teachers belong from another caste and were immediately suspended by the school authorities. Principal of Saraswati Vidya Mandir School, Purshottam Sharma, said, "Such behaviour cannot be tolerated in a disciplined school like ours. Those teachers were suspended and we'll co-operate with the police in their investigation."


What Victim's Mother Said?


The victim's mother, Maya Rani, said that the teachers objected to her son's haircut, which he got done in January. "He came home and told me that he was scolded by them, and the next day (January 25) he was mercilessly beaten with sticks in school", she added. She further said that due to this her son remained bedridden due to trauma and injuries for over a month. "My son couldn't properly prepare for his boards", she said.


She has also alleged that the accused forced them to make a compromise. "But the accused teachers continued to threaten us and intimidate my son during his exams. Left with no other option, we approached the local cops with our complaint. We want them to be arrested...", she said.


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