In a shocking incident, Tamil Nadu Forest Minister Dindigul C. Sreenivasan on Thursday asked a tribal boy to remove his footwear in Nilgiris district of the state. Sreenivasan had gone there to inaugurate the rejuvenation camp for captive elephants in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve when the incident was caught on camera. Unable to bend forward, Sreenivasan asked a tribal boy to unbuckle his footwear so that he can enter a temple.
The minister asked two tribal residents, who were the children of mahouts at the camp, to remove his slippers to enter the shrine. Photographers were asked not to take pictures while Conoor MLA A Ramu tried to block their view.
The incident has attracted flak from several netizens who have called the minister's behaviour casteist and shameful.
(With inputs from agencies)
