Lower caste student beaten at school in India
A 14-year-old Dalit boy was beaten and abused with caste slurs at a private school in Uttar Pradesh, exposing how caste violence persists inside classrooms
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — A 14-year-old Dalit boy — from a historically oppressed caste long treated as “untouchable” within India’s Hindu social hierarchy — was assaulted at a private school in northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, in what reflects a routine exercise of caste power rather than an aberration.
The attack took place at a higher secondary school in Kurawali, in Mainpuri, after the student was accused of breaking a water pipe while drinking water on campus.
According to his family, the allegation was false, but it served as a pretext for punishment that quickly turned violent — a familiar pattern in caste-based abuse cases, where Dalit children are disciplined not for misconduct, but for perceived social transgression.
The boy was verbally abused using caste slurs, beaten, and threatened with death. The assault left him struggling to walk and fearful of returning to school. Family members say no teacher intervened, reinforcing what rights advocates describe as institutional silence that normalizes violence against Dalits.
According to the complaint, two men linked to the school told the child that he would be killed if he returned — a threat that underscores how caste violence is enforced not only through physical harm but through fear designed to push Dalits out of public spaces, including education.
Police have opened a criminal investigation under laws that formally criminalize caste-based abuse and intimidation. However, arrests have not been announced, a delay that mirrors broader patterns of weak enforcement when perpetrators belong to socially dominant castes.
While India’s constitution outlaws caste discrimination, its social order continues to operate through everyday acts of humiliation and violence, particularly in rural and semi-urban areas.
Schools — often portrayed by the state as engines of equality — frequently reproduce caste hierarchies instead of dismantling them, with Dalit students disproportionately subjected to abuse, segregation, and punitive discipline.
We must take charge of our narrative. Research indicates that 92% of their Muslim coverage is negative. Help us change that.
Have Your Say!
Have you been affected by the issues raised in this story? Please share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@soundvision.com.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a Muslim Network TV’s representative. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
Tweet: @MuslimNetworkTV
