MP: Class 5 student protests in front of school bus after denies boarding over outstanding fees

Betul: A class 5 student of a private school in Madhya Pradesh’s Betul district staged a sit-in protest in front of a school bus after she was allegedly denied boarding due to non-payment of transportation fees, a police official said on Monday. Surabhi, a student of Gurusaab Public School in Chicholi block, sat in front of her school bus for nearly three hours on Saturday, before police persuaded her to give up her protest.

Videos of the incident in Chunahajuri village under the Chicholi block, about 60 km from the Betul district headquarters, have gone viral. Chicholi police station in-charge Hariom Patel said he spoke to the girl’s parents from the spot and explained that while he was willing to help pay the fees if the family was financially weak, other students could not be prevented from attending school in this manner.

"After explaining the situation, the girl was moved away, and the bus was sent on its route," Patel said. The girl’s father, Durgesh Yadav, said the school bus arrived in the village on Saturday and allowed all other children to board, but the driver refused to take his daughter.

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"After that, my daughter sat in protest in front of the bus," he said. Police said Surabhi was admitted to Gurusaab Public School, Chicholi, under the Right to Education (RTE) Act. Her mother, Asha Yadav, said the child was distressed after being denied entry to the bus.

"She was under stress, so she sat in front of the bus. Children should not be discriminated against in this manner," she said. When contacted, Gurusaab Public School principal Amit Yadav said the student was admitted under the RTE Act and was receiving free education, but transportation charges were not covered under the scheme.

He claimed that the family’s unpaid school bus fees had accumulated to around Rs 40,000–42,000. He also alleged that when the bus arrived in the village on Saturday, Durgesh Yadav assaulted the bus operator. The principal further claimed that Yadav’s elder daughter had previously studied at the same school and that unpaid school and bus fees for her amounted to approximately Rs 1.5 lakh.