‘Eat Stale Food, Sleep on the Floor’: Abhijeet Dipke Raises Alarm Over Conditions for Adivasi Students

Adivasi students should not be eating food cooked at midnight and served the following afternoon, or sleeping on floors because authorities failed to provide beds, Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke said.

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Adivasi students cannot be made to eat stale food cooked at midnight and served the next afternoon. They cannot be made to sleep on floors because the authorities failed to provide beds.

“These students deserve dignity, proper care and quality educational infrastructure. These are basic rights, not privileges,” Dipke wrote in a post on X. He also criticized conditions in educational institutions serving tribal students across India.

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These students deserve dignity, proper care and quality educational infrastructure. These are basic rights, not privileges.

Dipke highlighted deaths at Maharashtra’s ashram schools, claiming that more than 590 Adivasi students died in the state over two years. He said their families received only ₹2 lakh in compensation, questioning whether that amount reflected the value placed on an Adivasi student’s life.

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More than 590 Adivasi students died in Maharashtra’s ashram schools in just two years. Their families received just ₹2 lakh in compensation.

He had earlier met tribal students in Nashik who had been on hunger strike for 12 days. Dipke said the disparity in their facilities, food and education was “completely unacceptable.” He urged the students to call off the strike because of the health risks, while asking them to continue fighting until their demands were met. He said they could march to Mumbai together if necessary.

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I urged them to call off the strike for their health, but they must keep fighting until their demands are met. If necessary, we will march to Mumbai together.