Only five children at the Kagganahalli high school eat the food Radhamma cooks.
Around 100 children have left a government school in Kolar -- allegedly to avoid eating the mid-day meal prepared by the school cook, a Dalit woman. Only 18 students are still enrolled at upper primary school in Kagganahalli village. The cook says only five children eat the food she makes.
While speaking to NDTV, the cook, Radhamma broke down.
"It has been like this since the day I joined in February 2014," she said. "The children would not drink the milk I gave them or eat the food I cooked. What can I tell the children? Their parents are telling them not to eat."
The decline of the school is sad as it enjoyed a very good reputation earlier. "This school ranked first in the taluk. It got awards in sports, education. Because of some political reasons in the village, the situation has become troubled and the school is suffering," said a local, M Reddy.
In a bid to work things out, state education officials and district officers have held meetings with parents and villagers.
After a meeting earlier this month, the children and their parents had sat down with officials to share the mid-day meal. But these days, only five children eat what Radhamma cooks.
The school in-charge, YM Venkatachalapathy, told NDTV it was not a case of caste discrimination but more a fallout of bitter village politics in the wake of recent panchayat polls.
Most students, he said, belonged to the scheduled caste or scheduled tribes and even so, many of them had transferred out.
One parent, Subramani, told NDTV he would not send his child to the school because of all the ongoing trouble. Even if it meant spending Rs 15,000 a year on bus fare for a private school.
At a meeting held at the school on Wednesday, villagers said they wanted the teacher, the administration and the cook changed before they would consider re-admitting their children.
"I think there is also some political issue behind this... it is not just students from other communities have left...80% of the students who have left belong to SC ST issue," said food and civil supplies minister, Dinesh Gundu Rao. "The district administration is looking into this."