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The Hindu
10 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Row erupts over school ‘kitchen divided by religion' in West Bengal
A political row has erupted over food being cooked separately and by different cooks for Hindu and Muslim students at a school in West Bengal's Purbasthali area in Purba Bardhaman district. The institution at issue is the Kishoriganj Monmohanpur Primary School, attended by nearly 70 students. The school principal has said that he did not want this system to prevail in the school. 'Only the same gas stove is used for the meals; the cooks are different, the ingredients and utensils are separate, and we cook in separate rooms for Hindu and Muslim students,' one of the cooks, Banu Bibi told mediapersons. The cooks also said the principal of the school had previously tried to join the two kitchens and solve the crisis but was unsuccessful as parents refused to let their children eat food made by a cook from the 'other' community. 'Due to this the cost of preparing mid-day meals has also doubled. To stop this, we are trying to conduct a meeting with the parents of students,' Tapas Ghosh, the principal of the school said. He also said that there is no other communal tension between religious groups in the area other than discrimination related to food. Police supervision The issue caused a stir across the district and moved the district administration to take note. District Magistrate Ayesha Rani asked the sub-divisional magistrate to investigate the matter and submit a report. After a meeting with the students' parents on June 25 morning, the issue was resolved, and the two kitchens and cooks were made to cook together as police watched. 'There is a guideline for the mid-day meal cooking process. This cannot be violated. I have heard that in many places such incidents occur where Muslims do not eat anything other than halal meat,' according to Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP, who is Leader of the Opposition. Ruling Trinamool Congress party officials said that such communal sentiments are being planted in the hearts of the youth by the 'discriminatory' practices of BJP leaders.
Hindustan Times
13 hours ago
- General
- Hindustan Times
Bengal school ends practice of separately serving mid-day meals to Hindu, Muslim students
KOLKATA: A primary school in West Bengal's East Burdwan district on Wednesday ended an old practice to separately cook and serve mid-day meals to the school's Hindu and Muslim students, officials said.. Dhanu Bibi, one of the cooks who was assigned for Muslim students, said she cooked in one section of the kitchen while the other cook used the adjacent portion. (Sourced) Tapas Ghosh, headmaster of the Kishoriganj Manmohanpur Primary School, said he learnt about the practice when he joined the school in 2024. 'I tried to stop this, but as it was a sensitive issue, I didn't want to do it forcefully or rush through. But it was always on my mind that this practice has to end,' Ghosh said. The school in East Burdwan district's Kalna region has about 70 students in classes one to five. Over the years, a one-foot-high wall had been built in the kitchen to mark the area to be used by the Hindu and Muslim cooks. The school also had to hire two cooks - one from each community - instead of one. It is not clear when the practice started. Or the circumstances that led to the practice of engaging separate cooks and utensils for the children of the two communities. Dhanu Bibi, one of the cooks who was assigned for Muslim students, said she cooked in one section of the kitchen while the other cook used the adjacent portion. Sonali Majumdar, the second cook, told reporters that Tapas Ghosh had tried once earlier to stop the practice but hadn't succeeded. 'But today it has become possible. It feels nice to see that children are having their food together,' Majumdar said. On Wednesday, the school authorities held a meeting with parents of the students, which was attended by officials from the local police station, block administration and the panchayat. Everyone agreed to implement the change. And for the first time in many years, the meal was cooked using the same utensils. The students sat and had their meal together. Ghosh said he was happy that he could stop it. 'I never wanted the children to sit and eat separately just because they come from different communities. I wanted the school to develop and do better,' he said. Kalna sub-divisional officer (SDO) Shubham Aggarwal said they had conducted an inspection on Tuesday after learning about the practice. 'A meeting was held on Wednesday. The local administration and the police were also present. All the students sat together and had their meal,' he said. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said there was a standard operating procedure for cooking mid-day meals in schools. 'But I have heard that in some schools, particularly in some minority-dominated areas, parents of kids have demanded that halal meat be served. In a bid to avoid any controversy, some schools have stopped serving chicken,' Suvendu Adhikari told reporters. TMC spokesperson Jay Prakash Majumdar said, 'The BJP has started poisoning the minds of every citizen, including kids, and creating a communal divide. Local BJP leaders are doing this. They are pressuring schools to introduce such divisions'.
Indian Express
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Probe ordered into West Bengal school cooking and serving midday meals separately to students of different religions
A primary school in West Bengal's Purba Bardhaman district has been cooking and serving midday meals separately to students of different religions for years — a practice now under official scrutiny. At Kishoriganj Manmohanpur Primary School, located in Purbasthali I block about 150 km from Kolkata, meals are prepared by two separate cooks. The school uses separate utensils and kitchens, though on a single gas connection, and meals are served to students in separate classrooms based on their religion. The school's present authorities and cooks claim the arrangement has been in place since 2000, when the midday meal scheme was introduced. The school has 72 students — 29 Muslims and 43 Hindus. Once the issue came to the attention of the district administration, they ordered a probe, and the headmaster called a meeting of parents on Tuesday to address the situation. 'We have sent an enquiry team to the school. Action will be taken based on the report,' said Ayesha Rani, District Magistrate of Purba Bardhaman. Speaking to The Indian Express over the phone, headmaster Tapas Ghosh said: 'The students study together, sit in the same classroom, but the food is cooked and served separately. This has been the practice for years. I joined the school a year ago. I tried to intervene but failed. Today, I have called a meeting of parents and local panchayat members. We hope to resolve the issue.' Cooks at the school confirmed the long-standing arrangement. 'They won't eat food cooked by me. I've been cooking for Muslim students since the midday meal scheme began in 2000. The utensils and plates used are separate. The headmaster tried to change things, but couldn't,' said Ranu Bibi, the cook assigned to Muslim students. 'I cook for the Hindu students. The gas connection is shared, but everything else — from kitchen space to utensils — is separate. It's disheartening, but what can we do?' said Sonali Majumder. Former headmaster Govinda Bhadra, who served from 2002 to 2022, said the arrangement dates back to the early days of the scheme. 'Initially, only one cook was employed. When objections were raised by one community, another cook was hired. I tried several times to end the practice and even informed the Block Development Officer and school inspector. But no action was taken,' he said. Local panchayat leaders said they were unaware of the practice and that they will speak to residents of the village. 'We were not informed of this. Now that we know, we will attend the meeting and ensure such a practice is stopped,' said Kanan Burman, Pradhan of Nasratpur Gram Panchayat, under which the school falls. Mahbil Hussain Mondol, deputy pradhan of the same panchayat, added: 'This is unacceptable. No such practice exists in other schools. The village has a 60:40 Muslim-Hindu population ratio. We will take steps to ensure this ends.' 'I don't know when the practice started, but it is unwanted and should be stopped,' said Ganesh Gosain, a resident of the village. Ravik Bhattacharya is the Chief of Bureau of The Indian Express, Kolkata. Over 20 years of experience in the media industry and covered politics, crime, major incidents and issues, apart from investigative stories in West Bengal, Odisha, Assam and Andaman Nicobar islands. Ravik won the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award in 2007 for political reporting. Ravik holds a bachelor degree with English Hons from Scottish Church College under Calcutta University and a PG diploma in mass communication from Jadavpur University. Ravik started his career with The Asian Age and then moved to The Statesman, The Telegraph and Hindustan Times. ... Read More
