Paryushan Row 2.0: After Onion, Garlic Fine — Now ‘Methi Bhaji’ Costs Bhayandar Kid Rs 50 | Mumbai-news News
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Paryushan, the Jain fasting period behind the food curbs, saw the student denied his own tiffin, handed canteen food instead, and his notebook marked ‘banned vegetable.’
MBMC education officer Sulabha Vathare issued a show-cause notice to Tapovan Vidyalaya on Sept 17 over the Rs 50 fine.
A Mira-Bhayandar school is embroiled in a fresh food row after a student was allegedly charged Rs 50 for carrying methi bhaji in his tiffin during the Jain community’s Paryushan festival, days after the same school triggered outrage over a Rs 50 fine for onion and garlic.
The latest incident has deepened anger among parents already on edge over Tapovan Vidyalaya’s Paryushan-period food restrictions.
According to reports, tiffins are being checked on campus, and when a student’s box was found to contain methi bhaji, his notebook was marked with a remark calling it a “banned vegetable.”
He was reportedly denied his home-cooked food, given canteen food instead, and charged Rs 50 for it — a move parents allege was effectively a disguised fine. The school is said to be run by an institution affiliated with the Jain community.
Is This Really A Canteen Charge — Or A Fine In Disguise?
That’s the question parents are now asking. The Rs 50 collected for the methi bhaji swap is being described by the school, if at all, as a canteen charge, but parents point out the pattern mirrors the earlier Rs 50 penalty for onion, garlic, potato, ginger, beetroot and carrot — leading many to call it dressed-up punishment rather than a legitimate fee.
Has The Civic Body Already Acted On This School Before?
Yes. After complaints over the Rs 50 fine and the broader Paryushan food rules, Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation education officer Sulabha Vathare issued a show-cause notice to Tapovan Vidyalaya on September 17.
The fresh methi bhaji episode has now added pressure on the civic education department to act further, though the school has not issued any official response and did not respond when contacted.
Is This Part Of A Larger Pattern In Mira-Bhayandar?
The region has seen recurring identity-linked flashpoints in recent years — including a Marathi-versus-Jain-Gujarati language row that triggered major protests, and an earlier controversy over meat restrictions during Paryushan.
This latest dispute over vegetarian dietary curbs extending into a school tiffin now marks a new front in that ongoing tension.
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Ask News18A student at Tapovan Vidyalaya was allegedly charged Rs 50 after bringing methi bhaji in his tiffin, with his notebook marked with a banned vegetable remark.
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September 22, 2026, 08:41 IST
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