In HP: Dalit Child Beaten, Tortured with ‘Bicchu Booti’ by School Teacher 

After a horrifying video of a schoolteacher torturing a student with stinging nettle, commonly called bicchu booti—a Himalayan plant known for causing itching and burning sensations from its touch—yet another case of corporal punishment of an eight-year-old Dalit boy has come to light in Rohru, barely 110 km from Shimla, the state capital.

Director of Elementary Education Ashish Kohli confirmed that the police have booked the teachers accused in both incidents, one of which involves a Dalit boy, occurring in the same area.

“Also, an inquiry has been ordered in both cases, after the matter reached the government. It’s a serious case of indiscipline and gross violation of Section 17 of the Right to Education Act, 2009. "The guilty will not be spared," he declared.

A third incident of came to light on November 5, wherein a Class IV boy was assaulted by his teacher. In the last two weeks, there have been three reported instances of violent thrashing of a student in Himachal Pradesh.

Further, an FIR has also been lodged against the teacher at the Government Primary School, Bhaloon, under the relevant sections of the BNS and SC/ST (POA) Act for inflicting severe corporal punishment on a Class 1 student.

As per the written complaint submitted by the child’s father, Durga Singh, the teacher named Nitish Thakur allegedly assaulted his minor son at school so brutally that the boy began bleeding from his ear. He also has suffered partial hearing loss.

“Not only this, but the teacher crossed all limits and went to the extent of inserting stinging nettle into the child’s pants. This left the child in unbearable pain, discomfort due to a burning sensation, and humiliation,” he alleged.

What is far more serious, said the aggrieved father, is that the accused teacher was not even serving the school or had not been engaged by the school authorities. He was coming to the school to drop off his wife, a part-time water carrier and had started teaching voluntarily. 

“The accused has also been accused of openly indulging in untouchability in the school and resorted to caste discrimination by making a separate place for the upper caste children and Dalits for the midday meal”, Ashish Kohli says, quoting contents of the complaint.

The school head teacher, rather than taking action against the accused, attempted to protect him and threatened to expel the victim (the boy) if he dared to report the incident or file any complaints.

The head teacher, accompanied by another staff member, visited the victim’s family and asked them not to approach the police or the sub-divisional authorities at Rohru; instead, try to suppress the matter, otherwise the child will be expelled from the school.

Kohli said the departmental action has been initiated in the case of the Dalit boy, as also in the other case of a teacher torturing the boy in another school in the same area.

“From time to time, we keep reiterating instructions about not using any kind of corporal punishment method against the students during teaching or otherwise. One good thing happening these days is the use of social media to highlight such incidents, which attracts our immediate attention and also action. There is zero tolerance in such cases,” said the Director of Elementary Education.

Meanwhile, Dalit Shoshan Mukti Manch—an organisation working for the rights of the Dalits—has demanded the arrest of the accused and asked the state’s education department to take action against the water carrier, who has allegedly been sending her husband to teach at the school.

The Block Primary Education Officer (BPEO), Yashwant Khimta, has also visited the school since then and initiated a departmental probe. 

He confirmed that owing to a shortage of teaching staff, the School Management Committee (SMC), with mutual consent, had permitted Nitish to assist at the school voluntarily, without any remuneration. His wife is employed at the same school as a water carrier.

Khimta stated that a detailed report of the inquiry has been submitted to the Sub-Divisional Officer (SDM), Rohru, for further action.

The Deputy SP of Rohru, Pranav Chauhan, said the matter is under investigation. Statements of the child’s parents are being recorded, and the Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Rohru has been informed about the action.

Education Minister Rohit Thakur has expressed deep concern over the recent incidents of corporal punishment and other complaints emerging from government schools in remote areas. “We will ensure that strict action is taken so that such incidents do not recur in the future. I have also noted with concern reports of caste-based discrimination. This has no place in our schools or society. The government is committed to creating a safe, inclusive, and respectful environment for every child,” he said.