A nine-year-old Dalit boy died on August 13 after he was allegedly beaten up by a teacher for drinking water from a pot in a private school in the Jalore district of Rajasthan. Following his death, the state Intelligence Bureau (IB) had issued an alert to the government that the members of the Dalit organisation were anguished over the incident and they might agitate in large numbers.

“In reference to the incident, strong reactions are floating amongst Dalits on Whatsapp and other social media platforms. Dalits are angry over the thrashing and showing their reactions to the so-called inefficiency of the government. In reference to this, there might be a strong reaction/agitation by Dalits ahead,” reads the alert.

Even after this alert, the situation worsened in Rajasthan’s Jalore district and clashes broke out on Sunday between police and family members and supporters of the Dalit boy.

The father of the deceased and other relatives sustained serious injuries after a police baton charged the angry locals, most of whom belong to the Dalit community.

On Sunday, at around 4:15 pm, the clash turned violent after police served notice to the family members to dispose of the body. When locals intervened and stopped the police, the fields of Surana village turned into a battlefield. On one hand, police were thrashing the locals, including family members of the Dalit boy, and on the other hand, locals started pelting stones at the police officers.

In this incident, more than a dozen people were injured and members of the Bhim Army were detained. The internet connection in the area has been suspended.