Dalit students made to sit separately for meals in Amethi village, probe on
An FIR has been registered and the school principal has been suspended. A parent has also accused the principal of beating her pupils. The principal has denied the allegations.
Allegations of indulging in caste-based discrimination have been levelled against the management of a primary school in Amethi. Students belonging to the Dalit community were reportedly made to sit in different queues while being served midday meals at the school in Gaderi village.
An FIR has been registered and the school principal has been suspended. A parent has also accused the principal of beating her pupils.
However, the principal, Kusum Soni, has now registered a complaint against the village head for creating a ruckus on the school premises and locking the gates, while refuting the allegations against her.
“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,” Soni was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
The village head, Vinay Kumar Jaiswal, said parents and students had met him to complain about the issues during meals at the school. “I went to the school, but could not find the teacher there. It was told 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.
