Allahabad: The family of dalit brothers Brijesh Saroj and Raju Saroj, who qualified for prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) exam, have been provided police protection after unknown persons attacked their home with stones on Sunday night.
The two had just returned home after being felicitated by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, when their house in Rehua Lalganj village of Pratapgarh district was attacked.
Fearing for their lives, Pratapgarh district magistrate Amit Tripathi rushed SDM Lalgunj YP Singh and half a dozen policemen to guard the family.
Their father, Dharamraj, said that the family tolerated discriminatory acts for years but the boys concentrated on studies. He said that some people are envious of the boys that are why they are attacking them.
The two brothers have been widely applauded for making it to the coveted IITs despite belonging from a poor family. Leaders across all party lines have come in support of the family.
Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Smriti Irani announced a few days ago that the registration fees of the brothers will be waved.
"Informed family that registration fees will be waived off and will be eligible for scholarships that cover tuition, mess and other charges," Irani posted on Twitter, replying to a tweet that urged the government to help the boys.
Before that, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi also had offered them help and directed local party leaders to arrange the admission fees.
Both of them secured under-500 rank in JEE-Advance exam with Raju securing 167th and Brijesh 410th.
