Almost two Years ago, Sunita Kuwar was sacked from her job just because she was a widow. She was working as a cook under the midday meal scheme in Kalyanpur Government Middle School, Barauli, Gopalganj. But she was removed in February 2014, five years after she joined the school.
She said her widowhood was just an excuse to sack her. “I was dismissed because I did not follow the diktat of some influential villagers who have a say in the school committee. I had been working here for five years without any problem. Suddenly, some of them started making an issue of my widowhood. Some also made allegations about my character,” said Kuwar, who has two children.as reported by Indian Express.
She approached the Barauli block MDM in-charge Rajeev Kumar who gave her the reinstatement order but around 150 people stormed the school and forced both students and teachers out to prevent Sunita’s reinstatement.
Then she reached out to DM Rahul Kumar at his weekly Janta Darbar and requested him to help her.
DM Kumar reached the school at lunch and asked Sunita to serve her whatever she has cooked. Rahul Kumar then posted a tweet stating, “Sometimes u do symbolic things to overcome people’s beliefs. Asked the same widow cook to serve me the meal.”
The Logical Indian community appreciates DM Rahul Kumar and also appeal to our community members that we don’t realise we too discriminate with people, it is the time we shed whatever prejudices we have and be human.
