A Dalit girl studying Class IV at a private school in Haryana’s Hisar was made to go around the school with her face blackened as a punishment for not faring well in the exam.
Hisar Police Spokesperson Vikas Kumar said an FIR was registered under SC/ST Atrocities (Prevention) Act and Juvenile Justice Act.
The girl, aged around nine years, could not score the minimum eight marks in her 10-mark English exam following which her class teacher smeared her face black and made her go around the school in every classroom as a punishment.
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The girl’s father gave a formal complaint to the police on Sunday, two days after the incident. The FIR was registered on Monday.
He told media persons that the punishment meted out to his child was very harsh and he wanted the school to be shut.
Bahujan Samaj Party leader Bajrang Indal, an advocate, led a protest seeking justice for the girl. “The treatment meted out to a Dalit student in a private school by a teacher was shocking. The teacher had allegedly punished around five students in a similar manner, but they did not come forward to lodge a complaint,” said Mr. Indal.
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