Tamil Nadu Forest Minister asks tribal boy to remove his footwear
In a shocking incident, Tamil Nadu Forest Minister Dindigul C. Sreenivasan on Thursday asked a tribal boy to remove his footwear in Nilgiris district of the state. Sreenivasan had gone there to inaugurate the rejuvenation camp for captive elephants in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve when the incident was caught on camera. Unable to bend forward, Sreenivasan asked a tribal boy to unbuckle his footwear so that he can enter a temple.
The minister asked two tribal residents, who were the children of mahouts at the camp, to remove his slippers to enter the shrine. Photographers were asked not to take pictures while Conoor MLA A Ramu tried to block their view.
Brazen act of caste supremacy from TN Minister Dindugal Sreenivasan. Calls tribal boy to remove the buckle on his slippers during inauguration of rejuvenation camp for captive elephants in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve. @thenewsminute pic.twitter.com/fr0wSt9C09
— priyankathirumurthy (@priyankathiru) February 6, 2020
The incident has attracted flak from several netizens who have called the minister's behaviour casteist and shameful.
The inauguration of the rejuvenation camp for captive elephants in the Mudumalai Tiger Reservce (MTR) were overshadowed as State forest minister, Dindigul C. Sreenivasan, made a tribal boy remove his slippers, so that he could enter a shrine. @THChennai pic.twitter.com/jBfiyMVbC2
— Rohan Premkumar (@ThinBrownDuke26) February 6, 2020
When this minister can't even bend his body to remove the footwear on his own, he should avoid wearing those with buckles. While leaving home, the menial staff would have helped him wear them & so in a public place he thinks nothing wrong in asking a child to remove it for him.🤦♂️ pic.twitter.com/oMYenGkZ5h
— Mohamed Imranullah S (@imranhindu) February 6, 2020
(With inputs from agencies)