Not just blood type, Ooty college camp seeks donors’ caste too

CHENNAI: A controversy has erupted at Government Arts College in Ooty after an organisation affiliated with the Union government allegedly distributed forms seeking students’ caste details during a blood donation camp.

The blood donation camp was organised jointly by the Government Arts College, Government Medical College and the Health Department on Wednesday. While students who volunteered to donate blood were required to provide basic personal details, members of Mera Yuva Bharat (MY Bharat), functioning under the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, allegedly distributed separate forms seeking their name, age, course, mobile number and caste.

The move drew immediate objections from some students, who questioned the need to collect caste details for a blood donation camp.

Principal A Ebanasar said the college had neither sought such information nor authorised the distribution of the forms. “Only the name, age, course and mobile number of students were entered in the register maintained by the Government Medical College when the camp was inaugurated. Students were not asked to fill out any additional forms,” he said.

He claimed that MY Bharat members entered the college without prior permission and distributed the forms. “Students immediately objected to the collection of such information. I came to know of the issue in the evening and lodged a complaint with the police. Had they approached us, we would have scrutinised the information they proposed to collect from students. An inquiry is under way,” he said.

Regional Joint Director of Collegiate Education, Coimbatore, N Shenbagalakshmi, said, “I have forwarded the explanation received from the principal to the Nilgiris district administration. A police complaint has also been lodged. Outsiders entered the college claiming to be participants in the blood donation camp. From the college’s side, only the basic details of students donating blood were recorded in a register,” she said.

When contacted, a senior police official said the matter has since been resolved.

Meanwhile, a video purportedly showing students being distributed the forms and them filling out the forms has been widely circulated on social media. In the video, a student is heard asking whether blood was being collected based on caste.