The Rajasthan State Commission for Protection of Child Rights is yet to ascertain whether the death of the nine-year-old Dalit boy in Jalore district was a result of caste-based discrimination, its member said on Saturday.
The report of its findings will be submitted to the state government on Monday.
It has been widely reported that Indra Kumar Meghwal, a Class III student of Saraswati Vidhya Mandir in Surana village, was allegedly beaten up by his teacher Chail Singh on July 20 for touching a drinking water pot and he succumbed to his injuries at a hospital in Gujarat's Ahmedabad on August 14.
Shiv Bhagwan Naga, an RSCPCR member, who visited Surana village in Jalore on August 17, said according to fellow students, teacher Singh had slapped Meghwal and another student for "fighting over a drawing book", as a result of which he suffered injuries in his ear and eye.
"I visited the boy's school and home. I spoke to many of the students, teachers and local people apart from the family. While most of the students ruled out any caste-based discrimination and separate drinking water arrangement in the school, Meghwal's cousin said the teacher thrashed him because he drank water from the pot after lunch," he told PTI.
Meghwal's cousin is a Class V student in the same school.
Naga said according to other students and teachers, there was no water pot in the school and everyone on the premises drank water from a tank.
Villagers have also denied any incident of caste-based discrimination there, he said.
Naga said the commission has directed the education department to ensure that in case the school's recognition gets withdrawn, its students should be shifted to another school so that their studies do not suffer.
Jalore Superintendent of Police Harsh Vardhan Agarwalla also said the allegation that the teacher had beaten up the boy for touching the water pot could not be established so far.
"The matter is under investigation but it could not be established so far that the teacher thrashed him for touching the pot," he said.
Meanwhile, MP from Rajasthan's Nagaur constituency Hanuman Beniwal sat on a dharna along with his supporters at the Jalore district collectorate demanding a compensation of Rs 50 lakh to Meghwal's family.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
You’ve hit your limit of {{free_limit}} free articles this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
Already subscribed? Log in
Subscribe to read the full story →
Quarterly Starter
₹900
3 Months
₹300/Month
Smart Essential
₹2,700
1 Year
₹225/Month
Super Saver
₹3,900
2 Years
₹162/Month
Renews automatically, cancel anytime
Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans
Access to Exclusive Premium Stories Online
Over 30 behind the paywall stories daily, handpicked by our editors for subscribers


Complimentary Access to The New York Times
News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic
Business Standard Epaper
Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share


Curated Newsletters
Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox
Market Analysis & Investment Insights
In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor


Archives
Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997
Ad-free Reading
Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements


Seamless Access Across All Devices
Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app