Fifteen-year-old 'A' walks with a limp. He has a bullet stuck in his left thigh for almost six months now which prevents him from standing for too long. The Dalit teen claims that he was shot by an upper-caste member during the April 2 Bharat Bandh, who walks scot-free today.
Police officials in Madhya Pradesh’s Bhind have refused to register an FIR against the perpetrator.
At around 12:30 pm on April 2, 'A' was on his way back home in Bhind after collecting cash from his elder brother meant to be used for household purposes. He was unaware of the massive protest called by Dalit organisations against dilution of the SC/ST Act. Merely a kilometer away from home, the situation suddenly turned violent when an unarmed Dalit procession, shouting slogans of "Jai Bhim" passed through the market area mostly occupied by upper-caste shopkeepers.
What started as verbal abuse from both sides, soon turned into physical assault escalating in no time in bullets being fired by the shopkeepers. Horrified by the unforeseen turn of events, 'A' ran for refuge only to be shot at in the process.
"I saw him. He was a 'Rathore' shopkeeper," says A, pointing towards his thigh where the bullet still lies.
Police officials present on the spot had taken 'A' to Gwalior, 80 kilometers away, to be treated in a state-run hospital. Three days after his treatment, the cops refused to register an FIR on grounds of the act being an attempt of self-protection.
"I also saw a boy die there two days later. He was also shot in the leg but the bleeding wouldn't stop," says 'A'.
'A' is not the only one to be suffering the apathy. Gajendra Singh, 32, a resident of Mehgaon in Madhya Pradesh, was shot both in the arm and in the leg, again by an upper-caste inhabitant of the area when he was returning from the nearby bank. He, too, has been carrying the bullet ever since.
Dalit groups had observed a Bharat Bandh on April 2 in 10 northern states, namely Bihar, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. The protest turned violent leading to death of nine people and left many others injured. While six were killed in firing in Madhya Pradesh itself, two died in Uttar Pradesh and one in Rajasthan. Curfew was imposed in several places and hundreds were detained.
Among the hundreds arrested was 12-year-old 'B'. The school-goer was returning from his relative’s in Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut on the afternoon of April 2. While walking on his way back, he was intercepted by police officials. "What is your caste? Is the first questioned they asked me," says the Dalit boy.
The officials then stuffed him in their car and beat him up with wooden sticks along with hurling verbal abuses on his caste, the boy alleged. They then rushed him to Meerut Civil Lines Police Station and transferred him to an adult jail within hours.
"Next morning, the police said that they are releasing us but instead shifted us a juvenile jail," says 'B'. Meanwhile, his father, a local painter by profession was asked by police officials to stay away from the matter.
"When I went to inquire about my child, they told me they have put him in jail and will do the same to me if I protest. I was given no explanation when I said that he was doing nothing but returning from his aunt's place,” says a dejected 'B's' father.
This was only the beginning of caste-discrimination. Inside the juvenile home, 'B' was also made to clean toilets and sweep the floor, which the other kids did not. He did not resist, the 12-year-old was not in a position to.
After having spent two months and six days in the juvenile home, 'B' came out on bail on June 11. Life has changed ever since. His school-mates and teachers keep asking him about his absence time and again. He keeps mum.
"We had summer vacation going on when I was detained. School reopened after 15 days. My fees for the whole year was getting wasted. When I joined, everybody asked me where was I. I kept quiet. I had told the principal about it and he told me not to tell anyone," says 'B'.
He has three siblings along with two grandparents. His father earns roughly Rs 500 a day along with his mother, who works as a daily wage labourer on lean days.
While inside the juvenile home, 'B' shared his room with 14-year-old 'C' (along with 70 others), who happens to be from Meerut as well. He was arrested in a similar manner and shifted to jail when he was returning after buying milk on April 2 from a local store.
'C's' father passed away when he was 10, his mother is paralysed and his uncle is blind. Given the circumstances, his family had no clue about him until he did not return for long and was nowhere to be found.
"Police officials hit me with thick wooden sticks and said this is your caste-based reservation. This is what you deserve," says 'C', pointing at clots of blood on his hands and legs.
News18 spoke to multiple minors who were detained under similar circumstances. Even after being bailed out, life is not easy for them. "We have four-five charges against us. We need to visit the courts frequently," says 'C', sitting next to his helpless and agitated father.
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