By Arun Kumar
On August 13 last year, a nine-year-old Dalit boy died in Surana village, located in Saila tehsil in Jalore district of Rajasthan. Indra Meghwal’s family said he had been assaulted by his school teacher after he touched a pot of water designated for “upper castes”.
There was shock, outrage, protests and demonstrations. Rajasthan’s Congress government promised aid and an investigation. The teacher, Chhail Singh, was swiftly arrested.
But this is rare in Rajasthan – not the crime but the movement of state machinery.
According to data from the Rajasthan police, 56,879 cases were registered between 2017 and 2023 under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Crimes against Dalits and Adivasis have increased at an average rate of 22 percent from 2018 to 2022. Meanwhile, the conviction rate was 22.38 percent in 2022 against 27.49 percent in 2020.
Out of the 56,879 caste crime cases, the police registered final reports in only 26,801 of them – about 47 percent. Chargesheets were submitted to courts in just 25,762 cases.
This story was originally published in newslaundry.com. Read the full story here .