Bhayandar School in Row Again: Student Charged Rs 20 for Methi in Tiffin During Paryushan

A school in Bhayandar East, Maharashtra, is at the centre of a fresh controversy after a student was allegedly charged for carrying fenugreek (methi) in their tiffin during the Jain festival of Paryushan.

According to the allegations, the student at Tapovan School brought a fenugreek dish from home. The school is said to have written a note in the student's diary declaring that fenugreek is a banned vegetable. The student was reportedly not permitted to eat the food brought from home and was instead given canteen food, for which Rs 20 was charged.

The restriction is linked to the large number of Jain students at the school. Root vegetables, known as kandmool, along with items such as fenugreek, have been restricted in keeping with Jain dietary practices observed during Paryushan, an annual holy period in Jainism.

This is not the first allegation of its kind against the institution. Reports had earlier emerged that students were being fined Rs 50 for bringing onions, potatoes, ginger, beetroot and carrots in their tiffins during the same festival.

A complaint regarding that fine was filed by the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS). Acting on it, Sulbha Vathare, Education Officer of the Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation, issued a show-cause notice to the school on 17 September.

An explanation has been sought from Tapovan Vidyalaya over the matter. The school has not yet issued any official statement.