NCSC to review atrocities against Dalits in Rajasthan

Following several complaints of atrocities and discrimination against Dalits in Rajasthan, the National Commission of Scheduled Castes (NCSC) will conduct a two-day full-scale review of the implementation of central schemes, school enrolment ratio and dropout rate and violence against children on the basis of caste in the state.

The commission will review all complaints of atrocities received from Rajasthan. The decision follows a recent incident in which a 9-year-old Dalit boy Indra Meghwal, a resident of Surana village of Jalore district in Rajasthan, was allegedly beaten to death by his school teacher because he accidentally drank water from a pot meant for the teacher. Police have registered an FIR under Section 302 (murder) of Indian Penal Code (IPC) and relevant sections of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The FIR reads, "Indra was a child, he didn't know that the matki (earthen pot) that he drank from had been kept separately for the savarna jaati (upper caste) teacher. Indra mistakenly drank water from the matki of Chail Singh."

NCSC will conduct a review on August 24 and 25 in Rajasthan. Speaking to ET, NCSC chairman Vijay Sampla said, "The highest number of complaints of atrocities against Scheduled Castes are coming from Rajasthan. This is why we have decided to hold a full commission review after field visits. The complaints range from murder and rape to discrimination in government promotions." The NCSC has sent an 11-page 18-point detailed questionnaire to Rajasthan chief secretary Usha Sharma seeking district-wise details on different points. These include district-wise SC population, literacy rate, and number of SC students in primary, middle and secondary schools.