TUMAKURU: A few student and Dalit organisations protested against Tumkur University, following an alleged incident wherein a helper at the varsity’s hostel for SC/STs served food onto plates using a coconut shell, instead of a ladle on Friday night.
An image and video clip of the incident went viral, following which the SFI staged a protest on Saturday. Some Dalit organisations also criticised the varsity for allegedly discriminating against students, as they hailed from SC/ST communities.
Meanwhile, the students at the hostel blamed the authorities, especially the warden who they claimed had failed to supervise the hostel properly. “There are also some outsiders who have taken shelter in the hostel, worsening the situation,” they alleged.
V-C Dr M Venkateshwaralu rubbished the allegations, stating that the act of serving food has nothing to do with caste discrimination. “I will look into the other issues related to supervision,” he clarified. Warden Jayashankar expressed shock as to why the helper chose to serve food from a coconut shell, as there were spoons available.