Human rights body orders magistrate to file report on discrimination against Dalit children.

Source – newindianexpress.com

VIRUDHUNAGAR: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has ordered Virudhunagar District Magistrate to submit a detailed report on a complaint that alleges 35 Dalit students, who were made to clean school toilets and were beaten up, were not given compensation under the provisions of Scheduled Castes/ Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

In 2018, 45 Dalit students of Government Higher Secondary School in Innamreddiapatty were forced to clean the school toilets.

The incident sparked widespread outrage among various Dalit organisations who condemned the members of caste Hindus for the act.

It was alleged that a group of caste Hindus assaulted the 45 students. A series of protests made the Tamil Nadu government to intervene in the issue. According to the Dalits, only 10 of the injured students received Rs 10,000 each as compensation under SC/ST Act.

The parents of the remaining 35 students filed a petition before the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court.

Even as the case has been pending before the court, the Tamil Nadu Dalit Liberation Movement State General Secretary S Karuppaiah sent a complaint to NHRC seeking its intervention in the issue. In response to the complaint, NHRC Law Division Assistant Registrar, in his/her letter, said: “The complainant has inter-alia alleged that the Dalit students studying in Government Higher Secondary School, Inamreddiapatty, were forced to clean the school toilets.

When the students protested, they were attacked by the upper caste persons, the complainant said. An FIR was filed under Section 323 IPC and Sections of SC/ST Act by Sulakarai police. The complainant also said that immediate relief of Rs 10,000 was paid to only 10 students.” The NHRC, in its letter, also ordered the District Magistrate to submit a detailed report in the matter within four weeks.

Speaking to TNIE, one of the parents, J Karpukarasi, said that when her daughter was studying in Class IX, Dalit students of three different castes were forced to clean toilets, fetch water, clean the school premises and wash the teachers’ food carriers for more than a week.

It was only after a Dalit student informed her mother, the issue came to the light. Subsequently, the caste Hindu teachers working at the school and their supporters assaulted the 45 Dalit students.

While two students were admitted to Government Virudhunagar Hospital, the others received treatment as outpatients, she said.

One of the Dalit students, Uma Maheswari, said only the 45 Dalit students of Class IX and Class X were asked to do all the works since the conservatory worker was a non-Dalit.

“She and a few teachers threatened us to do the works,” she alleged.