New Delhi: The family of a 12-year-old boy, who allegedly died after a scuffle at a school in Vasant Vihar, held a protest at Jantar Mantar on Sunday. They alleged negligence on the part of the school and police.
The protestors gathered at Jantar Mantar, carrying placards that read “End Caste Discrimination” and “Equal Education for All“. The father of the boy recalled that on the day of the incident, he dropped his son off at school, and he was in good health. “Every parent assumes their child is safe, but if something like this happens to the kid at school, whom do we hold accountable? The school, of course, but the authorities have failed to provide any answers,” he said.
He alleged that police filed the FIR belatedly in the case. “The last rites of my son were conducted forcibly, following a lathicharge,” he said. The child’s mother, visibly distraught, recounted the sacrifices she made for her son. “I worked hard to take care of my son, taking on various jobs at different places,” she said. “Like every mother, I had big dreams for my son, but he was taken away from me in that school. We weren’t even informed about the incident. I rushed to hospital that day, thinking my son was safe, but the teachers didn’t tell us anything.”
The parents demanded action against the teachers and all those involved in the incident. The boy’s uncle alleged that caste discrimination played a role in the case, claiming that this was why his nephew was denied mouth-to-mouth CPR. TOI attempted to contact the school authorities for a response, but they remained unresponsive.
The protest was jointly organised by Revolutionary Workers Party of India (RWPI) and Disha Students’ Organization. According to RWPI, a memorandum was submitted to ministry of education, outlining five key demands. These demands included a thorough investigation into the case, strict action against the school administration, and the constitution of a school-level parents’ committee to conduct a free and independent investigation, among others.
Police said they are awaiting the viscera report to determine the cause of death. They also refuted allegations of manhandling, lathicharge and forcibly conducting the last rites.
A case was registered and the boy involved in the scuffle with the victim was apprehended on Dec 3. MSID:: 116341021 413 |
