The teacher and the children belong to a community that is an electorally dominant community in Western Uttar Pradesh, and there are concerns that the ruling government is trying to suppress the furore that the incident has justifiably created, the plea filed by advocate Shadan Farasat noted.
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — A division bench of the Supreme Court on Wednesday issued notice to the Uttar Pradesh government on a plea raising concerns over the recent incident of a Muslim child being slapped by his classmates on instructions of their teacher in Muzaffarnagar.
The bench comprising Justices Abhay S. Oka and Pankaj Mithal also directed the Muzaffarnagar Superintendent of Police to file a report on the status of the investigation in the case.
The viral video of the incident purportedly showing the teacher of the class provoking other students to slap a Muslim fellow student led to outrage across the country, with the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights and the National Human Rights Commission issuing a notice to the state government.
The plea filed by advocate Shadan Farasat sought directions for a time-bound and independent investigation including registration of FIR in respect of all provisions where prima facie disclosing commission of offences, specifically Section 82 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, in the recent episode of atrocities committed against the 7-year-old boy.
“The appalling and ghastly episode that occurred in Neha Public School, Muzaffarnagar also has an insidious effect on pupils who witness it, creating an atmosphere of fear anxiety, intolerance and polarisation, incompatible with learning,” the plea claimed.
On August 24, 2023, a “disturbing video” emerged of the minor boy being slapped by fellow students in a Neha Public School in Muzaffarnagar village on instructions of their teacher/principal Tripti Tyagi because he got his multiplication tables wrong, it said.
The plea said the hapless boy complained that he felt disturbed and was unable to sleep following the incident.
“Ever since the FIR has been filed, there has been a mounting pressure on the child’s family to strike a “compromise” and get the FIR against the teacher expunged,” the plea claimed.
“The teacher and the children belong to a community that is an electorally dominant community in Western Uttar Pradesh, India and there are concerns that the ruling government is trying to suppress the furore that the incident has justifiably created,” it added.
Notably, the accused teacher, Tripta Tyagi, had referred to the boy’s faith and asked his classmates to beat him hard.
