Caste reared its ugly head against when students of a primary school in Uttar Pradesh refused to eat the midday meal because the cook belonged to a Scheduled Caste.
According to a report in Firstpost.com, the incident took place in Palharia village in Sitapur district’s Pisawan block. After word spread that the cook had been changed, parents gathered at the school to protest. Of the 76 students, only six at their food.
The rest of it had to be thrown away. The village mostly consists of Yadavs and Brahmins. The school’s regular cook, a Yadav was replaced by a cook from the Arakh caste (listed as SC) temporarily on Friday.
The school principal said he tried to reason with the caste-conscious parents but to no avail. Condemning the incident, social activist SR Darapuri called for an inquiry, pointing out that boycotting the cook was in direct violation of an order by the UP government.
The district’s basic education officer refused to comment while the sub-divisional magistrate of Maholi Town, assured an inquiry would be conducted.
