On Thursday, December 15, the district chapter of the CITU (Centre of Indian Trade Union)-affiliated Akshara Dasoha Naukarara Sangha (State Midday Meal Workers’ Association) held a protest outside the Zilla Panchayat office to call for action against the chairman and members of the School Development Management Committee (SDMC) of the government primary school in Honnakirangai village in Karnataka for discriminating against the cook because of her caste.
The District Unit President of the Sangha, Vijaylakshmi Hiremath and General Secretary Sangeeta B Guttedar signed a memorandum addressed to the Chief Executive Officer of the Kalaburagi Zilla Panchayat, in which, it was claimed that the school's headmaster had disparaged the head cook of the school because of her caste, stated a report by The New Indian Express.
How the cook reacted
The SDMC chairman and members reportedly pressured the headmaster and assistant director of public instruction to replace the head cook or bring in outside food on December 12, preventing the students from eating the food the head cook had prepared. The head cook took ten sleeping pills due to this development and became very ill. She was received at the government hospital in Gulbarga. The head cook is reportedly out of danger and making a full recovery.
The Sangha leaders have demanded that the SDMC chairman and its members be the subject of an atrocity case and that appropriate action be taken against them. The school shouldn't stop serving lunch and midday meals and the head chef should be protected.
Another memo from the Sangha to the CEO claimed that the SDMC chairman and its members, in addition to the headmaster, were harassing the cooks working in government schools in various ways. The headmasters allegedly pressured the head cooks to sign blank checks when money was withdrawn from the joint account. According to the Sangha, the headmasters asked the cooks to sweep every classroom before the DDPI or other officers arrive, which is not their responsibility. The Sangha has asked the CEO to give the headmasters clear instructions to stop bothering the cooks, as reported by The New Indian Express.
The demonstration was attended by Neela K, Vice-President of the state Janawai Mahila Sanghatane chapter, Vijayalakshmi, Sangeeta, and others.
