Dalit cooks in UP schools spark outrage
Haidar Naqvi, Hindustan Times
Kanpur, July 16, 2010First Published: 00:49 IST(16/7/2010)
Last Updated: 00:51 IST(16/7/2010)
The Uttar Pradesh government directive to state-run schools on
employing Dalit cooks has brought into focus the caste tension that
prevails even among primary students. The issue has acquired greater
prominence, with the panchayat elections two months away. In the
districts of Kanpur Dehat, Kannauj and Auraiya (all in central UP), an
atmosphere of confrontation has been created in 22 primary schools
between upper orders and Dalits, with the former refusing to eat what
scheduled caste (SC) cooks prepare. The April 24 order says all
primary schools having 26-100 students will have to employ two cooks,
one of whom must be SC. A school with 101-200 students must have three
cooks — one from the general category, one SC, and one from the other
backward classes. A school with 201-300 students has to hire two SC
cooks, one from the other backward classes, and one from the general
category. Each cook is being paid Rs 1,000 a month.
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In Kannauj there have been protests on this issue. The parents of
upper-caste students assaulted district officials when Sub-Divisional
Magistrate Manoj Singhal forced students to have food prepared by an
SC woman. Government vehicles were set afire.
Looking to arrest trouble, Kannauj District Magistrate Govind Raju NS
has cancelled all the appointments of cooks made by village heads.
Kanpur Dehat District Magistrate SK Tewari has a different take on the
issue on the problem in his district.
He said, "People were angry with the local village headman. They
prevented their children from going to school as a protest against
non-development."
"The issue was twisted and politicised," he said.
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