A video showing alleged discrimination against Dalit students in an Uttar Pradesh primary school has gone viral, following which an inquiry into the incident has been ordered.
The video, reportedly recorded in July, shows two students eating out of banana leaves while others eat out of steel plates. When questioned, the primary school Principal Purshottam Gupta said, “They are Muslims.”
However, when the person shooting the video rebuts, “But there are so many other Muslims students,” Gupta evades the question. He later said, “We ask students to sit together and eat but they go separate ways as soon as we leave. Maybe they’ve learnt it from home. We’ve tried a lot to teach them that they’re all equals but students from upper caste try to stay away from those of lower caste,” reported ANI.
Taking note of the video, District Magistrate Dr Bhawani Singh Khangaraut visited the school on Thursday morning to take stock of the situation.
“Prima facie there is no basis to reports of discrimination with Dalit students in the school. However, a detailed inquiry by a joint magistrate level officer is being ordered to look into the matter in detail,” the DM said.
BSP president Mayawati took to Twitter to express concern over the incident.
“The news of Dalit students being made to sit separately and eat in a government school in Ballia is most condemnable and sad. The BSP demands that the state government immediately take strict legal action against the perpetrators of such disgusting racist discrimination so that others get a lesson and such cases do not recur,” Mayawati said.
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