Teachers beat Dalit students for chanting ‘Jai Bhim’ during Assembly in UP
Lucknow: In yet another incident of caste prejudice in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh state, Dalit students were thrashed by Hindu teachers for raising the slogan “Jai Bhim” during the morning assembly.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the incident took place during school prayer in Baghpat district of the Indian state. According to local sources ,some students shouted “Jai Shri Ram” in school assembly and in response a group of Dalit students shouted “Jai Bhim”, media reports said.
The shout of “Jai Bhim” by Dalit students angered teachers who, dragged the five Dalit students to a room. The physical training instructor along with two other teachers reprimanded them. One student said, “Two teachers held our hands while another beat us with a stick. They also forced us to squat like chickens as punishment.”
Another student said that the school’s principal also abused them with caste remarks and threatened to expel them from the school.
The incident has sparked outrage on social media, with several activists condemning the caste-based violence. “This is not just violence against children, it is an attack on Ambedkar’s ideals and on the dignity of Dalits,” said a local activist, adding that such incidents create a hostile atmosphere for marginalised students in educational spaces.
Dalit rights activists have demanded that the teachers be suspended immediately and action should be taken against them under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
