Mangaluru: Fired' Dalit cook files plaint against headmistress
Jayanthi is from a Scheduled Caste and had served as the panchayat member of Vittla Mudnur panchayat.
Mangaluru: Accusing the school headmistress of abusing by naming the caste and removing her from the job of school cook, Jayanthi Sanjiva of Vittla Mudnur village has filed a police complaint.
Jayanthi is from a Scheduled Caste and had served as the panchayat member of Vittla Mudnur panchayat. Her husband works as a coolie while her two children are studying in the government higher primary school at Natekal.
“Pushpa, the Headmistress of Government Primary School in Natekal had asked me to come and work as a cook from January 4. I worked till January 7 when she asked me not to come to work from the next day and told me that the committee members had questioned the appointment. She also told me that she would apprise me after two days. When I went to her after two days, she said that I could not continue in my job. She told me that the committee members had told her that as I was from a Scheduled Caste, the children would not eat food cooked by me,” she said.
“I was really upset by this comment. About ten years ago, I had worked as a cook in the same school for about a year. There was no opposition then. I had also served as panchayat member in the village and member of SDMC of the school. I had even collected funds for the school. But now I am asked not to come to work just because I am an SC,” Jayanthi said. However incharge headmistress Pushpa denied these charges. “I have not abused her by naming the caste,” Pushpa said.
“Of the two cooks, one is on leave due to health reasons. Many of them had volunteered to work as temporary cooks. When Jayanthi volunteered to come for the job I asked her to come (temporarily) and suggested that she apply as per procedure for the post. However when I found many questioning my step of appointing her on a temporary basis, I conveyed this to Jayanthi. I suggested that she get a proper appointment through the Panchayat. I did not remove her from the job. But it is sad that now she has filed a case against me,” she claimed.