Coimbatore Adi Dravidar hostelers suffer food poisoning, warden accused of harassment

A series of allegations including sexual harassment and physical assault have been made against the warden of the Adi Dravidar Boys Hostel in Kadamparai (Thondamuthur constituency) of Coimbatore. The issue came to public attention on September 2, Saturday, after five hostelers fell ill post-dinner, and were rushed to the Pollachi government hospital where they were treated for food poisoning. Parents of the students alleged that this happened due to the negligence of the hostel warden Palanisamy.

On Monday, September 4, students from the hostel, along with their parents, staged a protest demanding action against Palanisamy, alleging that he also molested the hostelers and beat them up every now and then with wooden sticks and a spanner. 

The Kadamparai Adi Dravidar hostel houses more than 30 students between 7 to 15 years of age. TNM has learned that the students who stayed in the hostel were mostly from Valparai and their parents were tea estate plantation workers. After the incident of food poisoning, the parents of four students who fell ill brought their kids back to their hometown.

Talking to TNM, M P Ranjan Kumar, chairperson of Tamil Nadu Congress Committee's Scheduled Caste Wing, who visited the hostel and had a discussion with the parents, alleged that Palanisamy failed to provide proper meals to the kids and sexually harassed them. 

“The kids were made to eat Rasam rice often, despite the government allocating funds to hostels to have eggs, meat, vegetables, and legumes on the menu for the students,” he said, adding that the warden did not settle the balance amount with the provision shop where he used to purchase groceries for the hostels since the school opened for the academic year 2023 - 2024. 

“Palanisamy harassed the kids, did not provide food, and on top of it, forced the students to clean the toilets and clear the blockage of the sewage,” Ranjan told TNM. He further stated that he would lodge a complaint with Coimbatore police on behalf of the TNCC SC wing. “The students who are staying in the hostel are Dalits and the warden himself is a Dalit person so we wanted the police to book him under the Protection Of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO),” he further noted.  

Citing multiple acts of violence meted out to Dalit students in the state in the last month, he pointed out how school premises become unsafe for Dalit students. “The Tamil Nadu Government should take severe action against Palanisamy instead of suspending him from his post. He should be dismissed and arrested. The Tamil Nadu government should also strengthen the mechanism to protect children from such harassment and torture,” he said. 

Talking to TNM, V Badri Narayanan, Superintendent of Police, Coimbatore district, said that a Child Welfare Committee has been sent to Kadamparai to inspect the school and that an investigation is underway.