Students in a middle school in Alawalpur village, Patna district, have accused their teachers of caste discrimination. Several students say teachers make them sit only with their own caste and warn them not to sit with lower caste students. Arya Nandani Kumari, an eighth grader, said, “During the mid-day meal or in the classroom, when a lower caste student is sitting with the upper caste or vice-versa, teachers ask them to leave the place and sit with students of their own caste.” Another student, Jiya Kumari, shared, “Sarita madam always says that don’t we feel ashamed while sitting with the low caste people. If any low caste student sits near the upper caste student, the teacher orders them to stand up and go to another place.” Sheetal Kumari added, “Whenever there is a quarrel between upper caste and lower caste students, teachers always punish the lower caste and spare the upper caste student without asking for any explanation.” Alawalpur village is under the Patna Sahib Lok Sabha seat and is dominated by upper caste Rajputs. Students say this caste discrimination has been ongoing for months. They also claim that teachers make them do tasks like brooming the classroom, carrying heavy sacks of mid-day meal grains, and washing plates. Aditya Kumar said, “Many times, we are asked to do work which we are not supposed to do. Teachers ask us to carry the sacks packed with mid-day meal grains. Every sack is around 25 kg and it really hurts while carrying it on the back and head.” Students also complain about poor mid-day meal quality, finding insects and glass pieces in the food. They say toilets are poorly maintained, and only a few teachers attend school daily. After the issue became known in the village, teachers reportedly threatened students they would not get their Transfer Certificate (TC), essential for moving to high school. Parents demand strict action, saying such discrimination harms education’s spirit. The village has three schools, but the primary school is closed due to a blocked path. This has forced over 300 primary students to shift to the overcrowded high school. Principal Ranjan Kumar denied the allegations, saying, “All the allegations are baseless. Our school does not indulge in any caste discrimination. We only ask the girls and boys students to sit separately.” Panchayat head Nitan Devi confirmed she has warned the school and said, “Any teachers violating the guidelines deserve punishment.” Her husband added parents should report such issues quickly. So far, to protect their children’s futures, parents have not taken legal steps against the school.