Freelance journalist Pawan Jaiswal, who had exposed in 2019 how a government school in Uttar Pradesh’s Mirzapur district fed students roti with salt in the mid-day meal, died of mouth cancer on Thursday. Jaiswal reportedly died less than a month after he had appealed for funds for his cancer treatment.
Many people, including AAP MP Sanjay Singh, had come forward to help the journalist, who had been battling the disease.
Tagging chief minister Yogi Adityanth, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, and Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi, Jaiswal had tweeted, "In life, we have done journalism with honesty, we disclosed that salt roti was being fed to children. But now I am losing hope. At this time I need money for treatment. I am battling the problem of cancer. . help please @myogiadityanath @yadavakhilesh @priyankagandhi."
In 2019, Jaiswal was booked for allegedly circulating a video of children being served salt and roti (chappatis) in a mid-day meal in a primary school at Shiur in the Mirzapur district. He was later given a clean chit after a probe.
The matter came to light when a video went viral on social media.
{{/usCountry}}The matter came to light when a video went viral on social media.
{{/usCountry}}The case was registered against Jaiswal and Rajkumar Pal, the representative of the village head of Hinauta village in the same district on August 31, just over a week after the video went viral.
The two men were booked under IPC sections 186 (voluntarily obstructing public servant in discharge of his function), 193 (false evidence), 120 B (criminal conspiracy) and 420 (cheating).
A three-month probe exonerated Jaiswal but found the allegations against Pal to be true.
The video and news reports of the children being served roti and salt sparked outrage and led to the government suspending the headmaster.