School principal makes Dalit students sit in separate queues during mid-day meal in UP, suspended

A detailed probe is underway after the FIR was registered against Soni under relevant sections of the SC/ST Atrocities Prevention Act.
The parent of the child speaks to ANI. (Photo | ANI)
The parent of the child speaks to ANI. (Photo | ANI)

LUCKNOW: The principal of a primary school in Vanpurwa Gaderi gram panchayat of Amethi district of UP made students belonging to the Scheduled Castes sit in different queues during the mid-day meals on the school premises.

An FIR has been registered and the school principal has been suspended. 

A parent has also accused the principal of beating up the students. “Teacher Kusum Soni beat up students. For meals, separate queues are made for students belonging to upper castes and Scheduled Castes,” said Narayan, one of the parents, claiming that he belonged to a Dalit community.

However, the principal, Kusum Soni, got a complaint registered against the village head Vinay Kumar Jaiswal for creating a ruckus on the school premises and locking the gates, while refuting the allegations levelled against her.

“I treat everyone equally. All the students are seated together. As far as the false allegations are concerned, one Pawan Dubey, claiming to be the village head's representative, had come here, pushed everyone out, locked gates, clicked the school's pictures, and posted the same on social media. I have filed a police complaint in this connection,” Soni said while talking to the media.

On the other, village head, Vinay Kumar Jaiswal, claimed that some parents and students had approached him to complain about caste discrimination during meals at the school. “I went to the school, but could not find the teacher there. It was told that she does not come on time and does not take care of the students,” Jaiswal said.

Meanwhile, a detailed probe is underway after the FIR was registered against Soni under relevant sections of the SC/ST Atrocities Prevention Act.

When the matter came to his knowledge, district magistrate Arun Kumar ordered an initial probe by the Basic Siksha Adhikari (BSA), who suspended the principal.

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