4 months ago
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A beverage store successful a colony successful Coimbatore has been accused of caste-based discrimination, with Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (SC/ST) persons allegedly barred from entering the premises and made to beryllium outside.
The store successful question, Sri Baladhandayudhapani Tea Stall astatine Nadhagoundenpudur adjacent Alandurai, is reported to travel a segregated strategy of serving beverages, giving beverage to SC/ST persons successful disposable cups portion others are served successful alloy oregon solid tumblers.
The incidental surfaced pursuing the circulation of a video recorded by an SC antheral connected December 6, 2025, and aboriginal shared connected societal media by Dravidar Viduthalai Kazhagam (DVK) Coimbatore municipality caput N.V. Nirmal Kumar.
Speaking to The Hindu connected information of anonymity, the antheral who recorded the video said the store had been functioning for implicit 2 years and that the signifier had continued from the clip it opened. He said SC/ST persons were made to beryllium extracurricular and served successful abstracted cups, and that nary objections had been raised earlier. He added that helium did not record a ceremonial ailment arsenic helium believed raising the contented could invitation governmental unit and that authoritative involution would not bring change.
Mr. Kumar said DVK had conducted a survey crossed Coimbatore territory and documented akin discriminatory practices successful 92 villages dispersed crossed 9 unions. These included the two-tumbler strategy successful beverage shops, denial of haircut services to SC persons, and restrictions connected entree to communal burial grounds.
According to DVK, the two-tumbler strategy was besides recovered to beryllium successful signifier astatine beverage shops successful Kondampatti, Mottuvavi, Periyakalanthai and Andipalayam successful Kinathukadavu Union, and successful Tholampalayam Pudur successful Karamadai Union, wherever SC persons were served beverage successful integrative cups, portion others were fixed solid oregon alloy tumblers.
Mr. Kumar said a petition detailing these findings had been submitted to the territory medication a twelvemonth ago, but nary enactment had been taken.
Responding to the allegations, Coimbatore District Collector Pavankumar G. Giriyappanavar said constabulary and gross section officials would beryllium instructed to instrumentality enactment connected receipt of specified complaints.
