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Row over SC woman’s appointment in Karnataka’s Hatyal village, locals cite ‘lack of opportunity’
“We have three anganwadis, and in all of them, they have appointed only members of the SC community so we objected that there should be a post given even in the general category,” Mule, a resident of Hatyal village, told HT on Sunday.
Local police and administration intervened after a protest broke out at Hatyal village in Karnataka’s Bidar district over the appointment of a Scheduled Caste (SC) woman as a helper at an anganwadi. Villagers opposed her appointment saying that “there should be a post given even in the general category”.
The helper in the middle of the controversy is 30-year-old Mialan Bai, who was appointed by the Women & Child Welfare department at a monthly salary of ₹5000. Shidram Mule, a local who belongs to the Maratha community, was among those who objected to the appointment. “We have three anganwadis, and in all of them, they have appointed only members of the SC community so we objected that there should be a post given even in the general category,” Mule told HT on Sunday.
Mule further said that the entire episode was misconstrued as dominant community members opposing and even rejecting the food made by the woman. “All villagers live like a family and in harmony,” he said.
Officials from several state departments, including the police, visited the village on Saturday to resolve the matter, even threatening to slap a case of discrimination against the villagers.
“The main grouse of the villagers was that all appointments were given to members of just one community and that there was no effort to hire anyone in the general category,” Savitri Salagar, the tehsildar, told HT.
“The officials managed to convince the locals to send their children to the anganwadi, and also assured to help hire anyone from other communities if they applied for the job.
“Their request will be considered by the district administration,” Salagar added.
“They had opposed my wife’s appointment as all helper posts were occupied by SC. They did not say that they would not eat the food prepared by her, but that they will not send their children to the anganwadi centre in protest,” Jaipal Rane, Milana Bai’s husband, said.
“Officials came and tried to resolve the issue. We have to see if they would send their children to the anganwadi from tomorrow,” Rane said.
Hatyal is a small village of about 850 people in Basavakalyana and members of all communities live in his hamlet.
