Morbi village: School ‘proves’ no bias against Dalit-cooked midday meal but contractor alleges conspiracy

“The officers asked us to prove that there is no caste bias and that children are not eating the midday meal because it is cooked by Dalit women. We said we will prove it by having the meal prepared by the same cooks in the school and encouraged students to do the same. Accordingly, we shared the meal with students today,” the village sarpanch said.

The SWO said the government did not force the students to have the midday meal in the school. “After we came to know about the incident through the media, I visited the village and held a meeting. The community leaders said their village was getting a bad name due to the controversy and they went to dispel the misconceptions. I offered to join them and accordingly, shared the meal with them,” Chhasiya said, adding, “However, we didn’t pressure any student to eat the meal cooked in the school as is evident from the fact that there are 153 students enrolled in the school and not all of them had the midday meal today.”

Incidentally, the education department had sent a team of officers to the school Thursday to conduct an enquiry after media reports quoted the midday meal contractor’s husband that students belonging from OBC communities were refusing to eat the food because Dalits were cooking it. The team, in its report, had debunked the claim and instead, concluded that the children preferred to eat the lunch they brought from home.

The sarpanch said his son, a Class 1 student, was among those who ate the pulao cooked in the school on Saturday.

However, in the afternoon, the contractor’s husband sought police help alleging a group of villagers had gathered near the school to assault them. The couple was then taken to the Morbi taluka police station.

While Rahul Tripathi could not be contacted for comments, a police officer in know of the development said there was an argument between the contractor’s family and the mother of a student. “After having the meal in the school, one student started vomiting. Therefore, her mother went to the school and started arguing with the midday meal contractor. Due to the brouhaha, three-four other women also assembled at the school and the Dalit couple felt they might be attacked. Therefore, they sought police help. Accordingly, a team was sent,” the officer said, adding, “The couple, however, has not given any formal complaint.”

However, the contractor alleged a conspiracy. “The villagers wanted to trap us by having the meal in the school just to show to the world that there is no bias but later on framing us alleging the food made them fall sick,” she said, adding, “I have offered that I have no problem if some OBC women cook the midday meal and that we shall pay for such services. However, the village wants me to surrender the contract because we are Dalits.”