Amroha school controversy: Child welfare panel to record statements of boy, mother

Bijnor: A day after the principal of Hilton Public School in Amroha submitted a written explanation to the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) regarding the expulsion of a seven-year-old boy for bringing non-vegetarian biryani in his tiffin, the panel has now summoned the child and his mother to record their statements.
Atulesh Bhardwaj, the committee's chairperson, said, "Further action would be taken after reviewing the child and his mother's statements."
Meanwhile, the case has now been handed over to the district magistrate of Moradabad, Anuj Singh, for a comprehensive investigation.An earlier administrative probe had cleared the principal of any wrongdoing, claiming that the controversial video was "edited". However, the school management has removed the principal pending an internal probe, which is still ongoing.
The controversy arose on Sep 5 when the school struck off the boy's name from the rolls after he brought non-vegetarian food in his lunchbox. A video of the incident was widely circulated on social media, purportedly showing a heated exchange between the principal and the student's mother, who accused the school of holding her son hostage, physically assaulting him and discriminating based on his food preferences.
Following the incident, the child's mother decided to transfer the boy along with his two siblings to a new school, with the govt assisting the family in the process. The education department will cover the cost of their enrolment and Hilton Public School agreed to waive the outstanding fees amounting to Rs 37,000.
District inspector of schools for Amroha, Vishnu Pratap Singh, earlier told TOI, "We have discussed the matter with both the school management and the boy's mother. Both have agreed to the transfer and the education department is coordinating with schools to enroll the children. Once the transfer certificate is issued, further proceedings will begin."