Dalit as cook in Tamil Nadu school angers parents

TIRUPUR: In yet another instance of deep-rooted casteism practised in Tamil Nadu's hinterland, a group of non-dalit parents objected to a dalit cook preparing noon meal in a government school where their children were studying and threatened to disrupt the school's functioning if she continued to work there.
The block development officer gave in to their pressure and cancelled the deputation order given to the cook on Wednesday. But after the dalits staged a protest on Thursday, Tirupur district sub-collector Shravan Kumar intervened and directed that the dalit woman continue in the same school. An FIR was registered against 75 people of the Gounder community who prevented her from working.