Dalit student’s dad seeks Rs 10 Lakh compensation

Father of a Dalit student has approached the Madras High Court seeking Rs 10 lakh compensation from a private school for alleged discrimination and mental abuse meted out to his son for not doing an assignment. 

The boy consumed poison in the classroom and later developed breathing problems. Petitioner S Saravanan submitted that his 14-year-old son Sanjay, a Class 9 student at a private school at Gudalur, had been badly beaten by the correspondent, teacher and headmaster on July 22 last year for not doing a school assignment. 

Overcome by shame, the student consumed poison and fainted in class. School officials had informed him that his son had fainted and was admitted in a hospital. Later he came to know that Sanjay was mistreated by the management and was even stripped off his uniform, he said. The three reportedly also asked his classmates to hit him on the head. 

The petitioner said he had given a representation to the Secretary of Adi Dravidar Welfare Department, Additional Director General of Police of Social Justice and Human Rights, after a case was registered. He claimed no action was taken for the past six months. 

The petitioner also sought transfer of the case to the CB-CID, claiming that police had not taken any action on the matter. Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana of the bench posted the case for hearing on February 22.