The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
Months after slapping trauma, UP boy dreams again: ‘Want to be Ronaldo’
THE EIGHT-YEAR-OLD has a smile on his face as he talks about his new school in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar district. His eyes light up as he mentions his Hindi teacher, though he doesn’t know her name. “She speaks warmly to me, and she liked the homegrown mulberries I had given her,” the class 3 student says.
This represents a major change from just a few months ago, when at another school in his Muzaffarnagar village, another teacher had ordered the boy’s classmatestolineupandslaphim one by one. The teacher, Tripta Tyagi, had also referred to his religion and talked pejoratively about “Mohammedan children” — ostensibly because he got his multiplication tables wrong.
The incident took place in August 2023, and had caused a national uproar when a video of it went viral. The matter went all the way to the Supreme Court after Tushar Gandhi — author, activist, and great-grandson of
Mahatma Gandhi — filed a petition against delayed action in the case by police.
Now, the boy studies in what is considered one of the best schools in Muzaffarnagar, although it is 25 km from his home. In the new environment, he has found new interests, and a new dream.
“The new school is good, and I have made some friends. The playground is big... I saw football there for the first time, and now I play every Tuesday and Saturday... I want to be like Ronaldo,” he says.
Dressed in the new clothes he got for Eid — a red checked shirt, black jeans and black shoes — he enthusiastically displays his new books and new school diary. He also flaunts his new bicycle, showing it to every guest that comes home.
However, last year’s incident, when his classmates were made to slap him, has left a mark. “I know those boys who hit me, but I do not meet them now. I only play with the children from my neighbourhood,” he says.
Following the incident, the Supreme Court had raised “serious objections” and pulled up the police for delay in filing an FIR. It had also said the “state must take responsibility for the education of the child”.
Subsequently, the UP government had said it would enrol the boy in a new school, take care of his educational expenses, provide him with uniforms, and even provide `200 per day for transport expenses.
The boy’s father says that while his son has got admission in the new school, many of the promises have not yet been fulfilled in a timely manner.
“My son is going to school in old clothes this academic session because the department has not provided new uniforms. I am tired of calling (department officials) — they do not even pick up.
They are required to pay at the rate of `200 per day for fuel, because I take him to school and pick him up every day on my bike. That means I ride my bike for around 100 km daily, but they have not made the payments for the last two months,” the father says. A tractor mechanic and small farmer, the 43-year-old said that earlier, when the matter was in the news, officials used to respond promptly, unlike now.
Education Department officials did not respond to requests for comment.
The incident, according to the father, had a major impact on his
son. “He stopped going outside, and used to suddenly wake up in the middle of the night.”
It was on the upper floor of 60-year-old Tripta Tyagi’s residence, where she used to take classes for around 70 students, that the incident took place. The building that the school was supposed to be run from remains closed. The school was sealed after police took up the matter.
The video of the incident was shot by the boy’s cousin, who said he had gone to Tyagi’s house at the time for some work. “Tyagi did not know that the child was from my family. In front of me, one after another, the children hit him hard. She even said, ‘Roti kha ke nahi aaye ho kya, aur zor se maaro (Haven't you eaten today? Hit harder)’,” the man says.
Tyagi has been booked under Indian Penal Code sections 323 (causing hurt) and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace). Later, section 75 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, was also added.
She, however, remains unapologetic. “Why should I be sorry when I have not done anything wrong? The whole incident has been fabricated by the person who made the video. What is it that happened to the boy? Teachers do such things to motivate students,” she says. On the sealing of her school, she says, “So what? My tuition classes are still happening.”
Circle Officer Yatendra Singh Nagar said police have wrapped up their investigation into Tyagi and that they were now awaiting government's sanction to apply IPC section 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) in the case.
“We have already sent the case diary file to the government and have also sent many reminders. The legal department of the Home Department has to take a call on whether IPC section 295A will be applied or not. After the decision, we will file the chargesheet in the court," said Nagar.
The Supreme Court had on October 30 last year directed the government to “immediately take a decision on the request for grant of sanction”.