Kerala: Cook harassed old age home inmates, shifted

Thrissur: The social justice department  director on Friday  transferred the cook of the government old age home at Ramavarmapuram here following complaints  that she had been mentally harassing the inmates for a long time.      They had resorted  to a sit-in protest on Thursday and  boycotted  their lunch demanding action against the cook,  Reenamol, who allegedly has political clout. Though the inmates had earlier approached  the State Human Rights Commission, collector and district legal cell authority over the issue, no  action was taken against the cook.   “I have issued  an order for transferring the cook  to another home in Thrissur and  sought a detailed report on the issue from the officials of the department to find out whether disciplinary action need to be taken against her,” director P.B. Nooh told DC.

At present there are 73 inmates at the home out of whom  44 are women. Majority of them are from financially backward families.   There is a superintendent, warden, two attenders, (one male and the other female), two cooks, two nurses and seven multi-task care providers at the home now. The posts of warden and male attender  are presently vacant.       Home superintendent  V.G.  Jayakumar  said that he had come across the complaint earlier and that the matter was taken up with the social justice officers in the district and the directorate in  Thiruvanathapuram.    It is alleged   that the  cook who was regularised after  she was appointed  through the Employment Exchange had high political connections.  The officials in the district who had earlier issued a memo to her for her rude  behaviour had received threat calls allegedly from politicians in Thiruvanthapuram.