A number of Maratha outfits including the Maratha Kranti Morcha and the Sambhaji Brigade have announced their intention to demonstrate against senior India Meteorological Department (IMD) scientist Dr. Medha Khole on September 25 for allegedly defaming her cook Nirmala Yadav.
Dr. Khole is engulfed in a storm of controversy after she accused Ms. Yadav of ‘impersonating’ as a Brahmin to secure work in her household, drawing severe censure from activists and a number of social outfits.
“Her [Khole’s] actions have needlessly contributed to the heightening of social tensions. Despite conferring with the Commissioner of Police, no FIR has yet been lodged against her…while the police caved in to Khole’s demands and lodged an FIR against the cook, they have been surprisingly tardy to lodge one against Khole based on Yadav’s complaint,” said Santosh Shinde of the Sambhaji Brigade.
The groups plan to take out a formidable rally from Lal Mahal to the Commissioner’s office, demanding that an FIR against Khole be lodged forthwith and further action be taken against her.
Ms. Khole filed a complaint against Ms. Yadav after she reportedly discovered that the cook was not of the Brahmin caste, but belonged to the Maratha community following the recently concluded Gauri Ganpati festival.
The police said that Ms. Khole alleged in her complaint that Ms. Yadav had ostensibly ‘concealed her caste’ to secure the job as she was under severe financial stress.
Ms. Yadav has denied this, stating that Ms. Khole had never asked her about her caste when she sought work with her in 2016.
Ms. Khole claimed that her religious sentiments were allegedly hurt as she had wanted a married Brahmin woman to cook for family events like the death anniversary of her parents and the Gauri Ganapati festival.
Under pressure, Ms. Khole on Saturday (September 9) last week withdrew her case against Ms. Yadav.
“My complaint was related to cheating. But if I have hurt anyone’s feelings, I apologise and withdraw my complaint,” Dr. Khole said while withdrawing her complaint.
Ms. Yadav (60) in turn has filed a cross-complaint against Khole for attempting to defame her and causing her mental and physical harassment. However, the police have yet to register an FIR based on it. A second complaint has been lodged against Dr. Khole at the Sinhagad police station by the Sambhaji Brigade.
“I was deeply hurt by this blatant display of casteism on her [Khole’s] part, and shocked by the fury of her verbal and physical assault on me…my father was in the freedom struggle and I was bought up in a progressive milieu,” Ms. Yadav said, speaking after lodging her complaint against Dr. Khole.
She announced her resolve to participate in the demonstration on September 25.
On the evening of September 6, the Sinhgad police, on Ms. Khole’s insistence, had booked Ms. Yadav under sections 419 (cheating by impersonation), 352 (punishment for assault or criminal force) and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), while alleging that it was Ms. Yadav who assaulted her — a fact that has raised the hackles of the protesting outfits.
According to IMD sources, Dr. Khole has not been reporting to work for more than a year. However, the met department refused to give clear reasons for her prolonged absence.