Graves of two of the victims in front of the school. Picture by Rakesh K Singh

Chhapra, July 18: Over 60 years after the boycott of British goods, Dharmasati Gandaman village is boycotting Arjun Rai’s shop, from where supplies went to prepare Tuesday’s deadly midday meal.

Twenty-three students of Gandaman Primary School, where Rai’s wife Mina Kumari was the principal, died on taking the meal. Shops reopened on Thursday. But Arjun Rai’s shop remained shut. Villagers had never complained about the quality of grocery there but the shop must stay shut forever, they resolved.

Angry villagers also rushed to Kumari’s house and raised slogans. Some sat on a dharna while others broke open the door of the room in which midday meal supplies were kept. They threw away the supplies and set fire to vegetables, rice and whatever they found. There were two bags of fertilisers too. Kumari, her husband Arjun Rai and brother-in-law Dhruv Rai are absconding.

Schools opened on Thursday but villagers have vowed not to send their wards again. All dead students were buried in front of the school. Raju Sah, the father of only son Shiva, was inconsolable. Shiva had gone to school with his sister Laxmi. She skipped the meal but Shiva wasn’t lucky. Shiva’s family found the government’s attitude insensitive. “Nitish Kumar did not care to come and console them. Instead Rs 2 lakh was offered. Is this justice,” a relative asked. Vakil Mishra asks what his fault was. He had taken his only son Ashish just to acquaint him with school. But his first day in school proved to be the last day of his life.

No midday meal was served at other schools. At Vishnupura primary school in Jalalpur block, Amarjit Singh, additional secretary in the human resource development ministry, saw students had come but midday meal was not prepared. The headmaster told him guardians did not want midday meals.