By IANS,
New Delhi : The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Thursday issued notice to the Bihar government following a report that two school children were beaten till they fainted for refusing to eat a mid-day meal in which they found insects.
“The NHRC has issued notice to the Bihar’s chief secretary and the district magistrate, asking them to submit a report on allegations, as reported in the media, that two school students were thrashed by their headmaster till they fainted for refusing to eat mid-day meal of khichdi (rice cooked with pulses), in which they found insects,” said a statement from the NHRC.
“The two boys – Sanjay Kumar, 12, and his brother, Chandeshwar Kumar 13, studying in government school at a village near Patna – complained about the insects in the mid-day meal, were allegedly beaten by the headmaster. The commission has given four weeks’ time to the chief secretary and the district magistrate to respond,” the statement said.
“The commission has observed that the allegations, if true, raise a serious issue of violation of human rights of children,” said an NHRC official in a statement.
Taking suo motu cognizance of media reports, the commission has directed Bihar’s chief secretary to inform it about what steps are being taken by the administration for monitoring and supervision of mid-day meal scheme in the schools, including the quality of food being served to the children in the state.