In A Gujarat School, students allegedly refuse to eat mid-day meals cooked by Dalit woman

There seems to be no end to caste discrimination in different parts of the country. In a fresh incident reported from Morbi district of Gujarat, students of a government school refused to eat food made by a Dalit woman cook Dhara Makwana.
The students, who are from Other Backward Community (OBC), have been skipping the mid-day meal since June 16. According to a report by The Times of India, the ‘boycott’ has been happening since June 16, when Dhara Makwana, a Dalit woman began preparing the midday meals there.

Bharat Vidja, incharge district primary education officer (DPEO) of Morbi, said, “The district collector also sent a deputy mamlatdar. The team held a meeting with teachers and parents in the presence of the MDM contractor and submitted a report.”

The DPEO said, “As per the report of the inquiry committee, it is not an issue of caste bias. It is just that children are opting not to have the midday meal served in the school.”

The matter has been transferred to an officer of the rank of deputy superintendent of police. “Police officers told me this was an issue concerning the school and district administration and they could not interfere,” Gopi Makwana said.

In his complaint, Gopi Makwana stated that Dhara Makwana had cooked food for 153 students on June 16. However, 147 Other Backward Class students refused to stay back for the mid-day meal after being influenced by their parents.

On Thursday, officials from the education and revenue departments also held a meeting with parents and teachers at the school, The Indian Express reported.

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