<p class="title">Parents of a government school in Salem district have objected to a woman belonging to Scheduled Caste cooking midday meals for students, an incident that serves as a grim reminder that untouchability is deep-rooted in the society.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Three persons who objected to the woman’s appointment and held a protest outside the school have been arrested and a manhunt has been launched to bring to book remaining three, including the headmaster of the school, Sekar, who are still at large.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The shocking incident took place in Kuppankottai government primary school last week when Jothi, the woman, took charge as cook. After learning of her caste, parents of some children held a protest demanding that Jothi be shifted out and she should not be allowed to cook for their wards. </p>.<p class="bodytext">However, the parents relented after the district authorities convinced them and ruled out shifting the woman out of the school. The shocking incident comes just a couple of months after a similar controversy had erupted in a government school in Tirupur district, where a group of caste Hindus had objected to a SC woman cooking meal for the students.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“Immediately after the incident came to light, the Theevattipatti police lodged a FIR and arrested three people who have been remanded to judicial custody. The investigations are on and police would arrest the remaining three very soon,” Salem district collector Rohini R Bhajibhakare told DH.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Cases against the six have been filed under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act, sources said, adding that the headmaster is believed to have stayed as a silent spectator and is also alleged to have sided with the parents.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The collector told DH that she has instructed the district education officer to take suitable “disciplinary action” against the government servant. “We have also re-issued circulars to schools across the districts to ensure that such incidents don’t recur. Already, all schools have been instructed not to entertain any caste-based biases and this circular is being sent again because of the latest incident,” Rohini said.</p>
<p class="title">Parents of a government school in Salem district have objected to a woman belonging to Scheduled Caste cooking midday meals for students, an incident that serves as a grim reminder that untouchability is deep-rooted in the society.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Three persons who objected to the woman’s appointment and held a protest outside the school have been arrested and a manhunt has been launched to bring to book remaining three, including the headmaster of the school, Sekar, who are still at large.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The shocking incident took place in Kuppankottai government primary school last week when Jothi, the woman, took charge as cook. After learning of her caste, parents of some children held a protest demanding that Jothi be shifted out and she should not be allowed to cook for their wards. </p>.<p class="bodytext">However, the parents relented after the district authorities convinced them and ruled out shifting the woman out of the school. The shocking incident comes just a couple of months after a similar controversy had erupted in a government school in Tirupur district, where a group of caste Hindus had objected to a SC woman cooking meal for the students.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“Immediately after the incident came to light, the Theevattipatti police lodged a FIR and arrested three people who have been remanded to judicial custody. The investigations are on and police would arrest the remaining three very soon,” Salem district collector Rohini R Bhajibhakare told DH.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Cases against the six have been filed under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act, sources said, adding that the headmaster is believed to have stayed as a silent spectator and is also alleged to have sided with the parents.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The collector told DH that she has instructed the district education officer to take suitable “disciplinary action” against the government servant. “We have also re-issued circulars to schools across the districts to ensure that such incidents don’t recur. Already, all schools have been instructed not to entertain any caste-based biases and this circular is being sent again because of the latest incident,” Rohini said.</p>