Caste bias halts Anganwadi services in Odisha village after Dalit woman’s appointment as cook
Bhubaneswar: An anganwadi centre in Nuagaon village of Rajnagar block in Odisha’s Kendrapara district has remained closed for nearly three months after villagers allegedly boycotted it following the appointment of a Dalit woman as helper-cum-cook.
According to a report published by The New Indian Express, 23-year-old Sarmista Sethi was appointed to the post on November 24, 2025. Soon after she joined, several families reportedly objected to food being prepared by a Dalit woman and stopped sending their children to the centre.
Sethi said resistance began immediately after her appointment. She claimed that some villagers openly told her not to cook for the children. When she refused to resign, parents stopped sending children to the anganwadi. She added that women in the village gradually stopped visiting the centre as well. Nuagaon has around 45 households, including seven Dalit families.
The boycott has affected nearly 60 children who are now deprived of supplementary nutrition and early childhood education services. Pregnant and lactating women have also stopped visiting the centre, missing out on health and nutrition support, said Ghadiamala sarpanch Sailendra Mishra. He said repeated appeals to villagers to resume participation have not yielded results.
Anganwadi worker Lizarani Pandav reported the matter to the Child Development Project Officer (CDPO) of Rajnagar block. CDPO Dipali Mishra said efforts were made to resolve the issue through dialogue. Meetings were held with villagers, including by the tehsildar, but the centre has not resumed normal functioning.
On Tuesday, a group of Dalit leaders visited the village and demanded legal action against those blocking the anganwadi’s operations. Nagen Jena, district president of Dalit Samaj, referred to a 2004 interim order of the Supreme Court in the PUCL versus Government of India case, which prioritises Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe candidates in appointments of cooks under government nutrition schemes.
Kendrapara district collector Raghuram R Iyer said he has sought a detailed report from the district social welfare officer. He added that appropriate action would be taken after examining the findings against those found to be illegally preventing children and women from accessing anganwadi services.
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Surjewala slams Pratap Simha’s ‘vile’ remarks on CM Siddaramaiah, demands apology from BJP
Bengaluru (PTI): Congress general secretary and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala on Saturday launched a sharp attack on the BJP over alleged disparaging remarks made by former Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah during an assembly bypoll campaign in Bagalkote.
Simha made the remarks while campaigning for BJP candidate Veerabhadrayya Charantimath, triggering a political row ahead of the by-elections scheduled for April 9.
Congress has fielded Umesh Meti, son of former MLA late M Y Meti, whose death necessitated the bye-election.
"Pratap Simha's vile remarks about Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in Bagalkot have exposed the BJP's despicable politics once again," Surjewala said in a social media post.
Alleging a larger political design, he added, "It is increasingly evident that Pratap Simha’s outburst is driven by desperation," and accused the BJP of using such remarks to target backward classes, Scheduled Castes, and minorities.
The Rajya Sabha member further claimed that the incident reflects a pattern within the party. "This is not one man's madness—it is the BJP’s political culture," he said, adding that the remarks were aimed at "denigrating leaders from marginalised communities".
Referring to past incidents, Surjewala said, "CM Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar have received death threats in the past, including one from BJP leaders who warned that their bodies would be stuffed into a refrigerator."
The Congress leader also criticised the BJP’s bypoll campaign strategy, alleging "internal contradictions".
He pointed to the party’s use of expelled MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal in campaigning despite earlier disciplinary action against him, accusing the BJP of resorting to "abuses and indignities" against opposition leaders.
Surjewala demanded immediate action from the BJP leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP national president Nitin Nabin, state president B Y Vijayendra, and Leader of Opposition R Ashoka.
He said they must tender a public apology to Kannadigas, particularly to OBCs, SCs, and minorities, over the remarks, and urged the party to expel Simha if it does not repudiate his statements.
Surjewala also called for legal action, demanding that an FIR be registered against Simha and that strict measures be taken.
Warning of "political consequences", he said the electorate in the bypoll-bound constituencies would respond decisively if the BJP failed to apologise, asserting that voters would "teach the BJP a befitting lesson" in the elections.
There has been no immediate reaction from the saffron party yet.
