Teacher booked for allegedly beating up 8-year-old Dalit boy for drinking water from his bottle in Madhya Pradesh
A government school teacher in Madhya Pradesh has been booked under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act following allegations that he beat an eight-year-old Dalit student for drinking from his water bottle. While the student's family claims the assault was motivated by caste-based discrimination, the teacher maintains the disciplinary action was related to the student's homework.
Why it matters
The incident highlights the persistent issue of caste-based discrimination and violence within India's public education system, sparking concerns over student safety and social equity.
An eight-year-old Dalit boy was thrashed and targeted with racial slurs by a teacher in a government school in Madhya Pradesh’s Shivpuri district for drinking water from his bottle, officials said on Friday (July 31, 2026).
According to officials, the incident took place on July 28 in a government primary school in Ukawal village under the Kolaras police station area, where the teacher, Lokesh Sharma, beat up the class 4 student using a cane in front of his fellow students after which the boy narrated the incident to her parents.
Speaking to The Hindu , Shivpuri Superintendent of Police (SP) Yangchen Dolkar Bhutia said that an FIR has been registered under relevant provisions of the BNS and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, based on a complaint from the student’s family. The teacher has been questioned in the matter, she said.
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