An eight-year-old Dalit boy was allegedly physically assaulted by a man at a village in Rajasthan’s Alwar for touching a water bucket kept near a handpump, police said.
A police complaint was lodged by the victim’s father following the incident that took place at around 9.30 am on Saturday.
The boy, who is class 4 student at the government school in the village had gone to drink water at the handpump located within the school premises when a man from an upper caste was filling up water in a bucket at the time, the complaint stated.
The accused man allegedly assaulted the boy when he touched the bucket, as per the complaint.
Speaking to The Indian Express, the boy’s father said, “There is a handpump inside the school boundary from where other people of the village also fill up their water. My son just touched the bucket to move it aside and drink water from the hand pump. The man was from an upper caste community, and he brutally beat up my son. Hearing him shouting, my relative, who was passing by the school, reached the spot and saw my son weeping. I was informed about the incident and we went to the culprit’s home.”
The father also said that the man did not apologise and instead used casteist slurs against him and his family.
“My son is terrified to go back to school. He has asked me to withdraw this complaint and is not ready to go back to school as he fears that the man will hit him again. I just want justice to be delivered and the culprit to be punished,” the boy’s father added.
A FIR has been registered under the SC/ST Act in connection to the incident and an investigation is underway. Circle Inspector Sawai Singh said that the accused has been interrogated and if found guilty, the necessary procedure will be followed.
“The boy is safe to go back to school and there will be no trouble for him anymore. We have assured him of that,” the inspector added.
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