Tamil Nadu: If we eat food cooked by a Dalit, we will be thrown out of the village.
AuthorDalit Times
Tamil Nadu: Once again in a government school in Tamil Nadu, children refused to eat food prepared by a Dalit cook. Not only this, the parents of the students also stopped their children from eating food prepared by the Dalit woman. Let us tell you that on August 25, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin had taken a government initiative to provide nutritious breakfast in government schools for children pursuing primary education.
Objection to food being prepared by Dalits:
The case pertains to a government primary school in Usilampatti where Dalit woman Muniyaselvi was appointed as a cook to prepare food under the Chief Minister Breakfast Scheme. But within a few days of the launch of the scheme, the school children refused to eat food prepared by the Dalit woman. It is also being told that the parents of the students are objecting to the cooking by Dalit cooks.
What did the Dalit woman say:
If media reports are to be believed, Muniyaselvi says that the students are ready to eat but their parents are not giving permission. They are afraid of being thrown out of the village. So the officials along with the police have interrogated the parents regarding the matter. According to the information, the District Collector has also taken cognizance of the matter. This is the third such incident in the state in the last few days.
We will be thrown out of the village:
The woman further said, “I have been a member of a women’s self-help group, they are now avoiding me. I even heard a student say that if he ate food prepared by me, he would be thrown out of the village. The students are ready to eat but the parents are not allowing them. ,
Parents are not giving permission to eat:
The woman has also told officials that nine out of 11 students refused to eat the breakfast prepared by her because parents had allegedly forbidden them to do so because of their caste. The woman said she did not report the issue to authorities earlier because she did not want to put pressure on the students. But when the surveillance officers interrogated him, he told his situation to the officers.
