Rahul condemns thrashing of Dalit child in Rajasthan, calls for harshest punishment for accused

New Delhi, Aug 14: Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday condemned the beating up of a Dalit child by a teacher in Rajasthan's Jalore and said the accused should be given harshest punishment. Nine-year-old Indra Kumar Meghwal died on Saturday allegedly after he was beaten up by a teacher for touching a water pot in the school.

The accused teacher, Chail Singh (40), has been arrested. "The incident involving the death of an innocent Dalit child after he was brutally thrashed by a ruthless teacher in Jalore is very sad. I condemn this cruel act. My condolences to the victim's family," he said in a tweet in Hindi.

"The accused has been arrested under harsh sections. He should be given the harshest punishment," Gandhi also said. The BJP has demanded action against the owner of a private school after the Dalit boy died.

BJP state president Satish Poonia charged that such incidents happen when the state government and chief minister are weak. "Incidents of Dalit atrocities have happened one after another in the last three-and-a-half years. This happens when the state government, chief minister are weak. The guilty must be punished at the earliest," Poonia told reporters.

The BSP also condemned the incident and said it will give representations addressed to the President on Tuesday. The Jalore police have charged the teacher with murder and under sections of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Meghwal, a student of the private school in Surana village, was allegedly beaten up on July 20 and succumbed to his injuries at a hospital in Ahmedabad on Saturday. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot condemned the incident and said the case will be taken up under the 'case officer' scheme for fast investigation.