Journalist Who Exposed Roti-Salt Meal In UP School Dies Of Cancer

Uttar Pradesh journalist Pawan Jaiswal, who was in 2019 charged with conspiracy for filming students at a government school in Mirzapur eating rotis with salt as their midday meal, today died after a prolonged battle with mouth cancer. The journalist was struggling to pay for his treatment and there were several public appeals in the past month from journalists to crowdfund for his medical bills.

The video Mr Jaiswal shot, was from the Siur primary school in Jamalpur block of Mirzapur and showed young children sitting on the floor of the school corridor, eating rotis with salt under a flagship scheme of the central government.

The district administration had filed a police case against him, even when it acted on his information and swiftly suspended the teacher in charge of the school and the supervisor at the gram panchayat.

In the complaint to police, Block Education Officer of the area had accused Mr Jaiswal and a representative of the local village head of a conspiracy to defame the Uttar Pradesh government.

On the case filed against him, Pawan Jaiswal said in a video that anybody could verify the facts of the story. "I was informed several times about the irregularities in the mid-day meal in the school. Sometimes the children were being given salt and rotis and sometimes salt and rice. On August 22, when I shot the video, a person called me and I went to the school. Before going there, I called the assistant basic shiksha adhikari Brajesh Kumar Singh and told him I was going to the school," Mr Jaiswal said.

"After shooting the first video at around 12 pm, I called local reporters who spoke to the district magistrate. The DM went there and conducted an inquiry and suspended people. Now, a case has been filed against me because questions were asked from these people. This is an attack on journalism. Everyone is welcome to verify the facts of the story," he added.

This is Pawan Jaiswal , the #Mirzapur reporter who broke the roti + salt in mid day meal story. He has been booked by @mirzapurpolice for allegedly conspiring against the @UPGovt . In this video he reiterates he reported what he saw . @IndEditorsGuild please take cognizance ! pic.twitter.com/5mU47uufAo

— Alok Pandey (@alok_pandey) September 2, 2019

The Editors Guild of India had condemned the state government's action and urged it to withdraw the cases. It also urged that the journalist is not harmed or harassed.

BJP leader Manoj Tiwari had then said Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government should honour Mr Jaiswal for exposing the corruption.

Mr Jaiswal was later given a clean chit by the government in the case.