Rajasthan: Cook suspended for throwing-away food touched by lower-caste student
A woman cook was today removed from a government school in Rajasthan's Udaipur district after she allegedly threw away the midday-meal touched by a lower caste girl student. The action was taken after a video went viral on the social media in which the Class 8 girl, belonging to the Meghwal community, is purportedly shown narrating the incident of the caste-based discrimination against her.
Cook tried to apologize but locals wanted action against her
"The cook tendered her apology for discriminating against the girl, but the locals were not pacified and wanted action against her. Therefore, a decision was taken to remove her," Sushil Arya, the principal of Government Girls Higher Primary School, Utarda, Udaipur said.
Cook asks girl why did she touch the food
On July 2, Kamla Vaishnav had allegedly misbehaved with the girl for touching the midday meal cooked in the school because of her lower caste antecedents. The girl said that the woman asked as to why did she touch the food despite knowing that she belonged to a lower caste. Moreover, she also threw away the food only because the girl had touched it.
No action against the cook was taken initially
In the video, the girl said she later broke down and complained to the school staff, but to no avail. Later, she went to the school with her mother who complained to the school in-charge but no action was taken. Resentment grew among locals, prompting the school administration to convene a meeting of the school management committee today which decided to remove the cook.
