E-Paper
Indian-American teen choked in school, gets stricter punishment than assaulter
The incident occurred at Coppell Middle School North, Texas, on May 11. The victim was handed a three-day suspension, while the assaulter received only a day’s punishment.
A video of an Indian American boy being bullied and choked by a white student at a school in Texas, United States, has sparked widespread outrage on social media. Shot by his classmates, the video shows Shaan Pritmani getting assaulted, choked and dragged out of the bench on which he was sitting.
An US-based reporter who spoke to Pritmani wrote on Twitter that the 14-year-old did not want to fight back and “get in trouble”.
According to reports, the incident occurred at Coppell Middle School North on May 11. In her Twitter handle, the reporter further said Pritmani faced three days of suspension following the incident, while the assaulter received only a day’s punishment.
"Disturbing footage of Shaan Pritmani, a middle school student, being assaulted and choked for over four minutes by a white student. The incident took place in a suburb of Dallas, Coppell Middle School. Shaan received three days of suspension while the assaulter received one day," the North American Association of Indian Students tweeted.
In the video, the white student can be seen approaching Pritmani and demanding that he stand up. After the Indian American teen refuses despite the other student's repeated demands, the latter gets angry and begins to choke him. He wraps the boy's neck from behind with his elbow before choking him for a few minutes, and pulling him down.
Onlookers of the incident can be heard cheering and hooting in the video.
According to an NBC report, Coppell ISD's superintendent Brad Hunt said in an email to parents that the video is being investigated and addressed by the school and the district as per the Student Code of Conduct.
Meanwhile, an online petition supporting the Indian American teen on Change.org has received more than 1.5 lakh signatures.
