Unnao school students stage sit-in over food, teachers, drinking water

 Hundreds of students of a government-run residential school in Uttar Pradesh's Unnao staged a protest on Wednesday over alleged poor-quality food, inadequate drinking water, shortage of teachers and the behaviour of the principal, briefly disrupting traffic at Mohan crossing.

The protest by students of Jai Prakash Narayan Sarvodaya Vidyalaya in Niyotani Nagar Panchayat in Hasanganj tehsil is the latest in a series of "Gen alpha protests" by school students in Uttar Pradesh in recent weeks over basic amenities and problems affecting their education.

Students from similar schools run by the Social Welfare Department had earlier taken to the road in Lucknow on August 14 and 17, raising concerns over teacher shortages and other facilities. While the Aug 14 protest was led by boys, girl students staged the Aug 17 demonstration amid rain, briefly blocking traffic on both occasions, before a minister along with senior officials pacified them.

School students have also protested over similar issues in districts including Fatehpur, Hamirpur and Kannauj in recent weeks.

In Unnao, the students reached Mohan crossing around 7 am on Wednesday carrying placards and sat in protest, resulting in traffic disruption and long queues of vehicles.

The students alleged that the quality of food served at the school was poor and drinking water facilities were inadequate. They also said a shortage of teachers was affecting their studies and expressed dissatisfaction with the principal's behaviour.

Police and administrative officials reached the spot and attempted to persuade the students to end the protest. Officials of the Social Welfare Department also arrived and heard the students' grievances.

The students initially insisted on continuing their sit-in until their demands were addressed and sought the presence of the Social Welfare Department and Education Department ministers at the spot.

According to a statement issued by the District Magistrate's Office, District Magistrate Ghanshyam Meena and Superintendent of Police Jaiprakash Singh reached the school and had breakfast with the students.

The officials assured them that their grievances would be addressed, following which the students ended their protest peacefully, the statement said.

Hasanganj Sub-Divisional Magistrate Shalini Singh Tomar said the students' problems had been resolved and the protest was called off.

The school has students from primary classes as well as Classes 10 and 11, the SDM said, adding that some "minor issues" raised by the students had been resolved.

"The situation at the school is now normal and all students are calm," the official said.