Uttarakhand / Champawat : Dalits now refuse to eat food cooked by upper caste women
The controversy over cooking food in Sukhidhang Inter College of Champawat district in Uttarakhand is not taking its name to stop. Earlier, the upper caste children had stopped the food prepared by the mother of the SC category. Now there is a new twist in this controversy. Now the students of SC category have started boycotting the food prepared by the upper caste mother.
They say that ‘when the students of the general category cannot eat the food of the SC category, then they will not eat the food prepared by the upper caste mother’s hands. Principal Prem Singh, in a letter to the Block Education Officer, said that on Friday, a total of 58 children of classes 6 to 8 reached the Government Inter College Sukhidhang. Meanwhile, when the school management called all the children for food in MDM, the children of the SC category refused to accept the food prepared by the upper caste mother.
It is being told that the teachers tried to convince the children but they stuck to their point and boycotted the food. According to the Principal, all the children of the SC category have protested against eating the savarna food made by the mother’s hands. He has told to bring tiffin from home. He told that 23 children, who belong to the SC category, have categorically refused to eat MDM food in the school on Friday.
Here, two days ago, CEO RC Purohit had removed the food mother Sunita Devi of the SC category, who was appointed during the investigation and stayed the appointment till further orders. Here, now after the boycott of food by the children of the SC category, the controversy has again caught on. Let us tell you that just a day before this, a Dalit community woman serving mid-day meal in a government secondary school was fired from her job as upper caste students refused to eat the food cooked by her.
Earlier this month, a day after she was appointed as Bhojanmata, students stopped eating the food prepared by the woman because of her caste and started bringing their food from home in tiffin boxes. It is said that 40 out of 66 students of the school refused to eat food prepared by a woman belonging to the Dalit community.
The parents of the students had also objected to the appointment of a Dalit community woman as Bhojanmata as an upper caste woman had also appeared for a job interview. Champawat’s chief education officer RC Purohit said the woman’s appointment was canceled as it was found that norms were not followed in the appointment.
Ward members have given resignation, increasing controversy
Pradhan Deepak Ram has issued a statement on the letter pad saying that casteism and anarchy are being spread unnecessarily by some people in the village. Said that five ward members expressed their displeasure for not standing in protest against the appointment of Bhojanmata and resigned collectively. The members had reached Tanakpur on Thursday and submitted their collective resignation to the SDM. Alleged that all the ward members who resigned are creating anarchy in the village and pressure is being put on them to bring a no-confidence motion. Said that he is ready to give details of all the development works done during his tenure.
CO reached the school to investigate
CO Ashok Kumar and Chalthi outpost in-charge Devendra Bisht reached the spot on Friday to investigate the dispute arising out of Bhojanmata in Sukhidhang Government Inter College. In this case, one of the parties had also submitted a complaint letter to the police. Regarding this, the CO reached the school and got all the information from all the parties. Within two-three days, the DIG himself will reach the school and take information about the matter.
A letter has been received from the principal in which he has said that 58 children who eat MDM were present in the school on Friday, out of which 23 children of SC category have refused to eat food made by the upper caste mother. Now once again this matter will be investigated on the spot. In the previous meeting, we had given a crackdown on the matter after understanding everyone seriously.
RC Purohit, CEO, Champawat
