A nine-year-old Dalit student died on Saturday, 13 August, after being beaten up by his teacher for allegedly touching a pot of water in Rajasthan's Jalore district.
The child, Indra Meghwal, used to study in the third grade at Saraswati Vidya Mandir in Surana village, Jalore.
Jalore Police has taken the accused teacher into custody.
Meanwhile, internet services have been suspended in Jalore fearing unrest over the boy's death.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot took to Twitter and expressed grief over the incident.
"The death of a student due to assault by a teacher in a private school in the Sayla police station area of Jalore is tragic. An arrest has been made against the accused teacher by registering a case under sections of the murder and SC/ST Act," CM Gehlot tweeted.
"The case has been taken up under the Case Officer Scheme for speedy investigation and punishment to the guilty. Justice will be ensured to the victim's family at the earliest. An assistance amount of Rs 5 lakh will be given to the kin of the deceased from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund," Gehlot added.
'Casteist Incidents Keep Happening in Rajasthan': Mayawati
Bahujan Samaj Party chief (BSP) Mayawati, condemning the incident, demanded that President's Rule be imposed in the state.
"Such casteist painful incidents keep happening in Rajasthan every day. It is clear from this that the Congress government has failed to protect the life and dignity of the Dalits, tribals and the neglected, etc. Therefore, it is better if this government is dismissed and President's rule is imposed there," the former four-time Uttar Pradesh chief minister tweeted.
Rajasthan BJP chief Satish Poonia too took Gehlot to task and said that these incidents reflect the helplessness of the chief minister.
"A person commits such acts when they no longer fear the administration. This countless spate of incidents shows that the state chief minister and home minister are helpless. The guilty must be brought to book," he added, according to news agency ANI.
'Son Became Unconscious, Ear Vein Tore': Father
After the incident came to light, the Jalore police took the accused teacher, identified as Chhail Singh, into custody and began investigations after registering a case under relevant sections for murder and the SC/ST act.
However, Jalore SP Harshvardhan Aggarwal did not confirm whether the incident occurred because Meghwal put his hand on the matka (earthen pot). He said that there is a tank to drink water from in the school, the tap of which is used by everyone.
"We have filed a case against the teacher, Chail Singh, under Section 302 of the IPC and the SC/ST Act and have arrested him," the police officer said.
The boy's father said he suffered injuries in his face and ear and almost became unconscious, after which he was taken to the district hospital. Subsequently, he was taken to the district hospital, from where he was referred to a hospital in Udaipur.
"He remained admitted at the hospital in Udaipur for about a week, but seeing no improvement, we took him to Ahmedabad. But his condition did not improve even there and he finally succumbed on Saturday," the boy's father Devaram Meghwal said.
Devaram Meghwal alleged that the pot his child touched was only used by teachers. He said that the incident took place on 20 July, where the teacher beat Indra to the extent that a vein in his ear was torn.
The Rajasthan Education Department has also constituted an inquiry committee in the matter, while the matter is also being investigated after an inquiry committee was formed on behalf of the school as well, the report added.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)