Kendrapara (Odisha), February 10 Parents of upper-caste children enrolled in an Anganwadi Centre in Kendrapara district have stopped sending their children to the pre-learning centre for nearly three months following the appointment of a "Dalit" woman as an assistant, an official said.
All of the approximately 20 children who previously attended the Anganwadi Centre belong to upper-caste families.
The district administration has initiated steps to resolve the ongoing dispute amicably by sending a high-level team to the Nuagaon village in the Ghalimala gram panchayat, under the Rajnagar police station jurisdiction.
"I have become a victim of caste discrimination. I was the sole applicant when an advertisement was issued for the appointment of an assistant at the centre. I was appointed in November 2025. Since November 21, the children have stopped attending the centre because their parents opposed my appointment on caste grounds," said Sharmistha Sethy, an assistant at the Nuagaon Anganwadi Centre.
Officials said that before her appointment, around 20 children aged between three and six regularly attended the centre. However, since November 21, no child has attended.
Kendrapara Collector Raghuram R Iyer said, "A team of officials, led by the District Social Welfare Officer, has rushed to the village to investigate the incident. It is alleged that a section of people is opposing the appointment of an assistant who belongs to the scheduled caste community."
The officials are ascertaining whether the incident is linked to the caste factor, Iyer said.
"It is indeed disturbing to note that the impressionable minds of children are being poisoned by caste factors. Caste discrimination of this nature is a criminal act. The relevant authorities need to resolve the issue as soon as possible and initiate legal action against those perpetrating caste conflicts," said rights activist Biswapriya Kanungo.