A video purportedly showing a heated exchange between the school principal and the mother of the student on Thursday has gone viral on social media.
In a storm of controversy that has swept across Uttar Pradesh's Amroha, a school expelled a seven-year-old student for allegedly bringing a non-vegetarian dish—biryani—to school. The incident, which took place on Thursday, has ignited a firestorm of criticism following the circulation of a provocative video on social media.
The nearly 4.30-minute footage captures an intense confrontation between the school principal, Avnish Kumar Sharma, and the student's mother. In the video, Sharma, the principal of the Hilton Convent School, can be heard saying that the student has been continuously bringing non-vegetarian food. He expresses his refusal to educate students who bring non-vegetarian food to school.
"Your child says that he wants to convert everyone to Islam by making them eat non-vegetarian food," the principal tells the mother in the purported video.
"I won't teach children who will demolish temples after growing up," Sharma can be heard declaring, further alleging that such food dishes are part of a scheme to "convert others."
A 4-5-year-old Muslim child was expelled from Hilton Public School, Amroha, over allegations of bringing non-veg food.
The principal allegedly stated, "We can't educate kids who break our temples, harm Hindus, talk about converting all Hindus, and destroying Ram Mandir." pic.twitter.com/7E3duOyNn9
The mother, who is visibly distressed, challenges Sharma’s conduct, accusing him of verbal abuse and locking her child in a room. "My child doesn’t know this kind of language and he is innocent," she asserts, describing her son's return home as a harrowing experience marked by mistreatment and punishment over his meal.
The woman then says her child has been complaining for the past three months that the students in his class have just been doing "Hindu-Muslim".
"You are teaching this to him," the principal tells her in the recorded video in what appeared to be the principal's office.
In the video, the woman alleges her child was not allowed to sit in his class since morning.
"I don't want to teach him anymore. We have expelled him," the principal adds.
As the video went viral, Sudhir Kumar, the sub-divisional magistrate of Amroha, has announced that an investigation will be conducted. "A committee has been formed to thoroughly investigate the allegations. Appropriate action will be taken based on the findings," Kumar assured.
Monika, the Amroha BSA, added that a three-member committee is diligently working to unravel the facts surrounding the incident. "Once the investigation is complete, necessary steps will be taken," she affirmed.