Even local BJP MLA has questioned caste angle in Jalore Dalit boy's death: Gehlot

Facing heat over the death of a Dalit schoolboy days after being beaten up by a teacher for allegedly touching a water pot, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday said even the local BJP MLA was not convinced about the caste angle of the incident.He also pointed out that the partner of the school owner is from a Scheduled Caste SC community, and some 40 Dalit students study in the school.Untouchability in our country is a blot on humanity.

Facing heat over the death of a Dalit schoolboy days after being beaten up by a teacher for allegedly touching a water pot, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday said even the local BJP MLA was not convinced about the caste angle of the incident.

He also pointed out that the partner of the school owner is from a Scheduled Caste (SC) community, and some 40 Dalit students study in the school.

''Untouchability in our country is a blot on humanity. Since BJP and RSS always talk about Hindutva, I appeal BJP and RSS leaders to work towards eradicating this practice of untouchability as SC people are also Hindu,'' Gehlot said here.

Indra Kumar (9) was beaten up by a teacher allegedly for touching a drinking water pot at a school in Rajasthan's Jalore district on July 20.

He died during treatment in Ahmedabad last week. The accused, Chail Singh, has been arrested. Gehlot was speaking to reporters on the last day of his Gujarat visit to review the Congress' preparations for the coming Assembly elections. He has been appointed the party's senior observer for the elections.

''The accused teacher is also the owner of this private school and his partner, official or unofficial, belongs to SC community. Nearly 40 SC students study in that school. ''Even the sitting MLA who is from the BJP has put a question mark on the accusation that the incident took place because the boy drank water (from a pot used by the teacher),'' Gehlot said. Citing the Una Dalit flogging incident, he said such incidents also take place in the BJP-ruled Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh and other parts of the country.

''The only difference is that the Rajasthan government acts swiftly in such cases. Rajasthan is the only state where it is compulsory to lodge an FIR if aggrieved people approach police,'' he said.

Meanwhile, Independent Dalit MLA and Gujarat Congress's working president Jignesh Mevani met Gehlot here over the Jalore incident.

He informed Mevani that the accused teacher has been arrested and the victim's family given financial assistance under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund, Gehlot tweeted.

The Rajasthan unit of the Congress, as directed by the party high command, will give Rs 20 lakh as additional assistance to the boy's family, he said.

The Rajasthan chief minister also said on Twitter that the entire country was pained by the death of the nine-year-old boy.

The matter has been taken up under the Case Officer Scheme so that a fast track trial can be conducted, he added.