A 7-year-old student at an Amroha school was allegedly expelled by the Principal for bringing "non-vegetarian" tiffin to school.
The Class 3 student, enrolled at a prominent school in the district, brought non-veg Biryani in his lunch box, for which the Principal reprimanded him.
The incident has sparked massive outrage among people after a video of the confrontation between the Principal Avnish Kumar Sharma and the boy's mother surfaced on social media.
In the purported video, Sharma is heard making derogatory remarks about the boy's religious identity, saying that he "won't teach children who will demolish temples after growing up".
As the mother raised questions over her son's expulsion, Sharma accused the family of "converting others through such food dishes", adding that other students had complained about the tiffin.
We will call parents at a PTM, who have raised complaints, the principal said, adding that all of the students have issues with this.
Seemingly distressed by the school's actions, the mother also questioned the principal about the delayed information sent to her about her son's expulsion.
She confronted the principal for allegedly verbally abusing her son and locking him up in a room as punishment for his lunch.
"My son doesn't know this kind of language, and he is innocent," she argued while remembering how her son returned home in a distressed state.
Some of school staff was also heard asking the mother to not record any video, while the Principal confidently said, "let her take the video". As the argument grew tense, Sharma threatened to call security and demanded that the mother leave the school premises.
According to a Times of India report, Amroha sub-divisional magistrate, Sudhir Kumar, announced a probe into the incident after widespread outrage from people.
The investigation will be led by the basic shiksha Adhikari (BSA) and the district inspector of schools. "A committee has been formed to thoroughly investigate the allegations. Appropriate action will be taken based on the findings," he said.
WAS THIS THE FIRST-TIME INCIDENT OVER NON-VEG? NO.
As criticism continues to pour in over the incident, it is note-worthy that this is not the first time 'non-vegetarian tiffin' has sparked a row.
Just last month, the management of Delhi Public School (DPS) in Sector 132 of Uttar Pradesh's Noida issued a circular asking parents to not send non-veg food in their children's lunch boxes.
This prompted severe backlash from parents, leading to the school's clarification that it was not that the non-vegetarian food was not banned, the request was only to not pack non-veg tiffin for the sake of students' health.
The school management said that since the lunch is cooked in the morning, it could get spoilt, posing serious health risks for the students. "By maintaining a vegetarian food environment, we ensure that all students feel respected and comfortable while eating together, regardless of their dietary preferences or restrictions," the circular was cited in media reports.
Earlier in May, one of the most reputed schools in Jaipur -- Maharaja Sawai Man Singh Vidyalaya -- had reportedly banned non-vegetarian food in tiffin. The screenshots of the message, allegedly received from the school, were shared on microblogging site X.
However, a Deccan herald report said that the school principal, Jyoti Joshi, said that such a notice wasn't sent, adding that there are many more important issues that need to be discussed.
"That non-vegetarian items in school tiffin get stale and are not fit for consumption, which is not the same in case of vegetarian items. I am from a science background and have adequate knowledge about this. Also the weather being hot, it is not advisable," Joshi was cited as saying.
In many Delhi schools, non-vegetarian foods are a big 'No'. A state-run school in Delhi's Khajoori Khas had advised students to not bring non-veg food or eggs in their tiffin boxes. In Rohini's Mount Abu Public School as well, non-veg tiffin is not allowed.
