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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