Teacher allegedly beats to death a Dalit teen for spelling error in UP

Achhalda: Police are searching for a school teacher who is accused of beating to death a 15-year-old Dalit boy in Uttar Pradesh's Auraiya district.

Ashwini Singh, reportedly from an upper caste, allegedly thrashed Nikhit Dohre on September 7 for a spelling error in a social science test, according to NDTV.

The boy's father complained to the police that the teacher had assaulted his son with sticks, rods, and kicked him till he fell unconscious after he spelt one word wrong in a test.

Nikhit Dohre died on Saturday night as he was taken to a government hospital in a neighbouring district.

The boy's death sparked protest in the area after members of political outfit Bhim Army had initially refused to cremate the body, demanding arrest of the teacher.

Teacher Ashwini Singh has been at large since the incident and the locals, reportedly, set a police jeep on fire as well as pelting stones at the police.

When senior police officials intervened promising action, the boy's family and Bhim Army members agreed to cremate the body.

Meanwhile, the complaint to the police by the boy's father reveal the teacher first had given him ₹ 10,000 for the boy's treatment and then a further ₹ 30,000, according to the report.

Afterwards, the teacher would not answer the father's calls and when confronted, the teacher abused him with casteist slurs.