A 16-year-old Dalit girl was allegedly stopped from attending school by a group of villagers in Madhya Pradesh’s Bawaliyakhedi in Shajapur district, PTI reported on Tuesday.
In her complaint to the police, the girl alleged that on July 23 some villagers snatched her school bag and told her not to attend classes. They also told her that other girls from the village will not be attending school.
Avdhesh Kumar Shesha, who is in-charge of Kotwali police station, said that a clash occurred between the girl’s family and relatives of those accused of stopping her, according to PTI.
Shesha said that seven people have been arrested in connection with the case. They were charged under the Indian Penal Code and the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
A cross-complaint alleging assault was also registered against the Dalit girl’s brother and three others.
Subdivisional Police Officer Deepa Dodwe told The Times of India that the two groups have been at loggerheads in the past as well. “We are yet to verify the girl’s statement,” Dodwe said.
District Collector Dinesh Jain denied the charges that girls were being prevented from attending school in the village.
“There is no issue of caste or dominance by any community,” Jain said, according to The Times of India. “Girls are not being stopped from going to school.”
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