Indian teacher accused of killing student over misspelling a word

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
27 Sep 23:37

The 15-year-old succumbed to his injuries on Monday in a hospital in northern Uttar Pradesh.

Children from a Dalit community take part in education classes in the Maharjganj district of India. (Archive)

Nikhil Dohre was brutally beaten with a rod and kicked until he fell unconscious by his high school teacher earlier this month after misspelling the word "social" on an exam, as per his father's police complaint.

The 15-year-old succumbed to his injuries on Monday in a hospital in northern Uttar Pradesh. Meanwhile, the accused teacher has reportedly fled the area.

Police officer Mahendra Pratap Singh said as quoted by AFP, “He is on the run, but we will arrest him soon."

Dohre was a member of the Dalit community-- formerly known as the "untouchables"-- and is at the bottom of India's caste system. The community has long faced prejudice and discrimination.

Hundreds of people took to the streets on Monday after hearing about Dohre's death in the Auraiya district, where the attack occurred.

The protesters demanded the teacher's arrest before the boy's body was cremated and set fire to a police vehicle.

It is worth noting that violent acts against Dalits in India increased by 9.4% from 45,961 cases in 2019 to 50,291 cases in 2020, citing data from the National Crime Records Bureau as reported by Reuters.