TN minister asks tribal boy to remove footwear, sparks outrage

A Tamil Nadu minister made a tribal boy remove his slippers during the inauguration of an elephant camp in Theppakkadu near here on Thursday, a video of which went viral drawing flak from the DMK and a section of social media users. The incident occurred when Forest Minister Dindigul C Srinivasan came to inaugurate the elephant rejuvenation camp in Theppakkadu, in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, 40 kms from here.

Facing criticism, the Minister, a senior AIADMK leader, sought to downplay the incident, saying the boy was like his 'grandson' and what happened was 'coincidental' and that his intention was not to hurt anyone. DMK President M K Stalin hit out at Srinivasan, saying he had "violated oath" taken as a minister.

When Srinivasan along with the district collector and other officials were proceeding to the camp, he called a tribal boy and asked him to remove his footwear so as to enter a temple there and perform pooja. The boy readily obliged and removed the slippers in full public view.

It is not clear as to why Srinivasan asked the boy to remove his footwear. The incident also caused outrage on the social media with several condemning it and seeking action against the Minister under the SC/ST Act.

In his defence, the Minister said he didn't know who the boy was. "He looked like my grandson. I called him and asked to remove the buckle of my footwear which he did. That is all.

I don't even know who he was. It was just a coincidence," he told reporters. Saying that it was not proper for some to rake up the issue, he said he did not intend to hurt anyone.

Stalin, also the Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, lashed out at Srinivasan over the episode. A couple of state Ministers were "violating the oath taken under the Constitution and Srinivasan has also done the same," he told reporters.

"People are watching it," he said, and sought to bring it to the notice of Chief Minister K Palaniswami..