The Hindu : National : Cow's urine sprinkled on students, headmaster held

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Sunday, Apr 22, 2007
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National

National

Cow's urine sprinkled on students, headmaster held

Special Correspondent

It was part of "purification ceremony''

MUMBAI: After Khairlanji, Bhandara district in Maharashtra is in the news once again. This time the headmaster of a zilla parishad school has been arrested under the Protection of Civil Rights (PCR) Act for conducting a "purification" ceremony, sprinkling cow's urine on Scheduled Caste children at Surewadi village on April 4.

Superintendent of Police Suresh Sagar told The Hindu that headmaster Sharad Kaitade was arrested on April 17 under Section 7 (1) (d) of the Act. He was released on bail the same day.

Under this Section, an offence is registered against whoever insults a member of the Scheduled Castes on grounds of untouchability. It attracts a maximum punishment of six months and a fine ranging from Rs.100 to 500.

According to Satish Shambharkar, an activist and journalist based in Bhandara, a teacher Madhavi Raut on April 4 publicly said the school was rid of a "curse" following the transfer of headmistress Tilottama Tembhurkar, who belongs to a Scheduled Caste.

The same day the new headmaster Kaitade, (from an Other Backward Classes community) allegedly performed some purification rites. He got a bottle of cow's urine and asked Ms. Raut to sprinkle it in the classroom, where secondary level students were appearing for their geography examinations.

Students' complaint

The students complained that urine was sprinkled on them and on their answer papers. Only the three rows of SC students were singled out for this treatment, Dr. Shambharkar said.

The students complained to their parents, who questioned the headmaster about the incident.

Later some of them filed a complaint with the authorities.

Charges

Six others from the school have been charged under the same section of the PCR Act, according to investigating officer Mohan Singh Chauhan.

But they have not been arrested as the police are still investigating the case and have no evidence against these people as yet.

Attempt to denigrate

Meanwhile civil rights activists are demanding that the case be registered under the Atrocities Act, which has more stringent provisions. What happened was an attempt to denigrate a community.

District authorities are awaiting a report from the education officer on the incident.

On September 29, 2006, four members of a Dalit family including two women were brutally murdered at Khairlanji.

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