19, Feb 2016

Bihar schools finding it hard to meet demand at Rs 3.86 per child per day; education official says poor parents also send along siblings to school for free meals.
Written by Santosh Singh | Gokhlapur (araria) | Published:February 19, 2016 3:08 am
With just Rs 3.86 allocated per day per child at government primary schools in Bihar, the khichdi served for the mid-day meal at Rajkiya Prathmik Vidyalaya in Araria’s Gokhlapur is a watery affair.
But on February 10, Kasheeda, a Class V student, made the mistake of asking for a second helping. The 12-year-old was allegedly hit, and when her father Mohammed Shagir protested, he too was allegedly kicked. Hours later, Shagir died.
According to Shagir’s wife Rukhsana Khatoon, her son escaped a similar fate six months ago. Chand Babu, a Class II student, wanted a little more khichdi too, and in return was allegedly thrown off the school’s roof, fracturing his right leg. He dreads going to school since.
Three teachers and a cook of the school now face a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder and are absconding. The post-mortem report is awaited. The school is shut since the incident.