After pushback, Mira Road school scraps ‘no onion, garlic’ circular to students for Jain festival

Following pushback from parties across the political spectrum, a school in Maharashtra’s Mira Road managed by the family of Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Narendra Mehta withdrew a circular asking students to avoid eating onions, garlic and potatoes during a Jain festival, The Indian Express reported on Friday.

The Seven Square Academy had issued the circular on September 8, asking parents to ensure that the students’ tiffins did not include root and tuber vegetables during the Jain holy month of Paryushana. The observance began on September 8 and will conclude on September 15.

The school had also said that the canteen would only serve food without onion, garlic and potato during the period.

‘Attack on Maharashtra’s dharma’

Political parties objected to the circular, with some describing it as an “attack on Maharashtra’s dharma”.

Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Sanjay Raut asked whether the “so-called champions of Hindu dharma” in the Devendra Fadnavis Cabinet agreed with the circular. “This incident is more horrific than love jihad!” Raut said on social media.

Love jihad is a Hindutva conspiracy theory that Muslim men trick Hindu women into romantic relationships with the aim of converting them to Islam. The Union home ministry has told Parliament that Indian law has no provision defining such a term.

Raut asked: “Will these very people decide whether the Marathi people...

Read more