If sacked Dalit cook is not reinstated we will approach court, vows Uttarakhand SC/ST commission

Dehradun/Pithoragarh: The Uttarakhand SC/ST Commission has threatened to go to court if a Dalit cook at a school in Champawat district, sacked earlier, is not reinstated. “I have asked the Champawat district administration to do justice to Sunita Devi, the Dalit Bhojanmata at Sukhidhang Inter College, who was sacked on technical grounds after upper caste students of the secondary school refused to eat mid-day meal cooked by her,” Uttarakhand SC/ST Commission Chairman Mukesh Kumar said on Thursday. He said he has also asked the administration to identify people involved in the row as they are spoiling the traditional social fabric of Uttarakhand. The cook had been fired by the district education officials citing “procedural lapses” in her appointmemt after a row erupted earlier this month. Kumar said officials citing procedural lapses in the appointment of the Dalit cook had themselves violated the norms as they did not inform the higher authorities before sacking the woman from the job. He said the school management committee is likely to meet on Friday to discuss the issue. Describing the Bhojanmata’ as a deserving candidate for the job as she is poor and her child also studies in the school, the SC/ST Chairman said he hopes she will get justice, but threatened to take the matter to court if she does not.