Outrage as Indian-American Student Attacked, Put in Chokehold at Texas School - Video
16:03 GMT 17.05.2022 (Updated: 10:43 GMT 19.07.2022)
CC BY 2.0 / Bruno Girin /
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Social media users are seeking justice for the victim and have also started an online petition, which has been signed by almost 230,000. School authorities have been accused of sweeping the incident under the rug by calling it an “altercation”.
A video of an Indian-American student being physically attacked and put in a chokehold by a fellow student in Texas' Coppell Middle School has sparked outrage.
In the video, the victim, identified as Shaan Pritmani, can be seen sitting on a bench in the cafeteria when another student approaches him and asks him to stand up.
Shaan can be heard saying, "No, I’m not getting up. There is literally no one sitting here”.
After Shaan refused to give up his seat, the angry student assaulted him and put him in a chokehold.
14 y/o at Coppell Middle School North gets assaulted in the cafeteria, while students just watched.
— Malini Basu (@MaliniBasu_) May 16, 2022
Teen in chokehold faced 3days of punishment. His parents are outraged. Other teen faced 1 day of punishment.
Teen tells me, he didn't want to fight back, & get in trouble.@wfaa pic.twitter.com/f2Clha8qpF
It turned out to be a big shock to Shaan and his parents after the school gave him a three-day suspension as punishment, whereas the attacker was punished for only one day.
Shaan’s mother Sonika Kukreja has accused Coppell Independent School District (ISD) of sweeping the case under the rug by calling it an "altercation".
“It’s heartbreaking, I cried. I couldn’t sleep. His neck could’ve snapped, I wouldn’t have my son. They told us this is an altercation, vs, what you saw in the video”, Kukreja told media outlet WFAA.
Kukreja alleged that the school was protecting the student who attacked her son, as his father, Sam Wellington, is a member of Coppell Independent School District (ISD) Board of Trustees and has been working with the police to ensure that the incident is covered up.
While the school is probing the case internally, Shaan's parents decided to handle the matter legally.
Social media are demanding justice for Shaan, with an online petition being launch to raise awareness about the incident. It has been signed by nearly 230,000 people at the time of publication.
A video of Indian-American student being attacked in a Texas school sparks outrage
© Photo : Twitter/NAAISORG
