A 17-year-old boy and his 14-year-old sister were brutally attacked with sickles, allegedly by a gang of students, on Wednesday night. The siblings, who belong to the Scheduled Caste, study at a government-aided school in Tamil Nadu’s Vallioor, and had complained to the authorities about caste-based harassment.
The attack came after the boy, whose parents are daily wage labourers, approached his school headmaster to flag instances of harassment and bullying by upper caste students from his class, who had allegedly been forcing him to run errands such as buying cigarettes.
Unable to cope, he stopped attending school, prompting the school administration to summon him and his parents for inquiry. After the family elaborated on the boy’s ordeal, the administration issued a warning to the students allegedly harassing him.
According to the Tirunelveli district Superintendent of Police, around 10.30 pm on Wednesday, three students allegedly barged into victims’ home and began assaulting him. His sister, who tried to intervene, was also attacked. Neighbours who heard their screams rushed them to Nanguneri government hospital, which referred them to Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital for further treatment.
This story was originally published in indianexpress.com. Read the full story here