On August 16, a school fight in Udaipur, Rajasthan. Turned fatal as a 15-year-old Zakir allegedly attacked his classmate Devraj with a knife over a disagreement on the distribution of notebooks. The fight became a real confrontation, and after three days of hospitalization, Devraj, a Hindu boy, died of his injuries. This incident evoked a sense of sadness as well as anger. And more troubling questions about the issue of violent incidents in schools in India.
Religious Tensions Erupt
Even though police officials said that the fight did not have any religious connotation. Rumors soon appeared on social networks. Principally WhatsApp, concerning the purpose of the murder being Hindu revenge over a Muslim girl’s killing premeditated by her classmate Zakir. Such spurious accusations kept the delicate religious balance in the city in jeopardy. Riots erupted when Hindu extremists organized protests burning down vehicles and shouting slogans against Muslims. Which compelled the authorities to impose a curfew. And order suspension of the internet to restore order.
Aftermath for the Families Involved
Following the incident, Zakir was arrested and put in a juvenile home whereas the patriarch in the family was charged with abetment to murder. The following day, and in a fashion typical of the BJP run state, a bulldozer was brought to destroy the house in which Zakir lived with his family. This meant that Zakir’s mother Heena* and her four daughters were now left without a home. Heena, while accepting her son’s deeds and wishing that he may change for good, lamented the action taken against the whole family.
In the same time, the family of Devraj was also in a shock. His father Pappu Lal, a bicycle repair shop owner in Kuwaith, had known the story from arching hundreds of thousands of miles. By the time he reached home, his son was already unconscious and died without regaining consciousness after that. It has been very difficult for Devraj’s parents to process the dead alcohol especially the father who had to deal with the heart wrenching circumstance.
Influence on the Udaipur Community
The event and its aftermath, including the riots, have made the residents of Udaipur anxious. The Hindu-Muslim’s villages, once peaceful and reconciled, have now been filled with animosity. Many are distressed about the ongoing ethnic/sectarian division and the repercussions of the tragedy for a long time. One neighbor afraid of being implicated in the incident asserted that the obituary was very destructive to the community.
Both families are equally involved in the loss. The family of devraj wails the loss of the little son they loved. While the family of Zakir sits dazed. And bereaved due to the loss of their house. And ruination of their future. The incident resulted from structural lines that are not just a squabble between two children from elementary schools.
