There was a roadblock in the free breakfast scheme launched by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin amid much fanfare when parents in Karur began preventing their children from having breakfast cooked by a Dalit woman.
This incident reportedly took place in a Panchayat Union Primary School in Velanchattiyur in Karur district. The parents of half of the students objected to their children eating food cooked by Sumathi, a Dalit cook in the school, reports IANS.
Karur District Collector Prabhu Shankar arrived at the school for breakfast after hearing the news. He then summoned the parents who had forbidden their children from eating Sumathi's food and threatened them with strict penalties, including filing a complaint under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
While the majority of the parents consented to allow their children to have breakfast prepared by her, others continued to object. The police summoned them and issued a severe warning.
Notably, students at a government school in Tirupur recently refused to eat breakfast served by a Dalit woman. Only 12 of the 44 pupils in Tirupur's Kalingarayanpalayam panchayat primary school ate breakfast served by Deepa, a Dalit cook.
The parents also requested a Transfer Certificate from the school, and Tiruppur District Collector T Christuraj intervened, warning the parents of dire repercussions if their children refused the food made by a Dalit woman.
Following this, parents agreed, and the programme is now operating successfully in Tirupur.
