A disturbing case of religious segregation has come to light at Kishoriganj-Manmohanpur Primary School in the Nadanghat police station area of Purbasthali Block-I, East Burdwan. The school has been found serving mid-day meals to Hindu and Muslim students in separate utensils, prepared on different stoves by cooks from each community. The revelation has prompted an immediate investigation by the administration.
The school, which has 72 students from pre-primary to class five and four teachers, had been following this discriminatory practice for years without any formal objection from local authorities. Despite students from both communities studying together in the same classrooms, their meals are divided—both in terms of preparation and consumption.
According to school sources, Hindu cook Sonali Majumdar prepares meals for Hindu students on a separate gas stove using different ingredients, while Muslim cook Geno Bibi cooks for Muslim students using distinct utensils and another stove. Shockingly, even the dining areas are segregated, with 43 Hindu and 29 Muslim students eating in separate spaces.
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The practice has raised serious questions about secularism and equality in government-run educational institutions. “India was partitioned 77 years ago on the basis of the two-nation theory. But now, this primary school seems to be operating on the same divisive principle,” said a concerned local resident.
District Magistrate Ayesha Rani has taken immediate cognisance of the issue, ordering the sub-divisional magistrate to conduct a full investigation. “We will examine the report and take appropriate action,” she said.
Local governance officials, too, have expressed shock and disapproval. Kanan Barman, head of Nasratpur Panchayat, admitted he was unaware of the practice until now, adding, “I will bring up the matter to the higher authorities to ensure such practices are brought to an end.”
Purbasthali Block-I Panchayat Samiti President Dilip Mallick echoed the sentiment, stating, “This is absolutely unacceptable in a state that reveres figures like Rabindranath Tagore and Kazi Nazrul Islam. Such divisive practices must be eliminated immediately.”
Even the school's headmaster, Tapas Ghosh, could not deny the ongoing religious segregation in the mid-day meal scheme. “I have been posted here for just a year. This practice existed long before I arrived. It is doubling the expenses of the meal scheme, and I will take steps to put an end to it,” he stated.
Local elder Ganesh Gonsai voiced the community’s anguish: “There should be no place for religious discrimination among young children. Government schools must uphold secularism, the cornerstone of India’s identity.”
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