Patna, Oct 6 (IANS) Students at Government Middle School (Hindi) in Shivganj, Ward No. 7 of Narkatiaganj town in West Champaran staged a protest on Tuesday over the quality of the Mid-Day Meal (MDM), alleging that a dead rat was found in the rice served to them.
According to the students, the meal was not properly prepared and emitted a foul smell.
They alleged that when they went to eat the MDM, they noticed the rice appeared unclean and, upon closer inspection, found what they claimed was a dead rat in it.
The allegation triggered an uproar on the school premises, with a large number of students gathering to protest against the food arrangements.
The students also levelled allegations of negligence in teaching and misconduct against some teachers, further escalating the situation.
As tensions rose, a team from Shikarpur Police Station reached the school.
Sub-Inspectors Ramji Paswan and Khurshid Alam, accompanied by other police personnel, intervened and persuaded the students to remain calm.
During the commotion, teacher Sanjay Pandey was taken to the police station.
The exact circumstances that led to his removal from the school were not immediately clear.
Police subsequently brought the situation under control and took steps to restore normalcy on the school premises.
Meanwhile, headmistress Shakuntala Devi rejected the students’ allegations and described the claim that a dead rat was found in the MDM rice as false.
She stated that a dispute had arisen between students and teachers over the issue and categorically denied that any rat had been found in the food.
The conflicting claims have raised questions regarding the incident.
The allegations made by the students, the school administration’s response and the quality of the Mid-Day Meal require independent verification to establish the facts.
Further action is expected to depend on the findings of any inquiry initiated by the Education Department.
–IANS
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