Adi Dravidar hostel warden suspended for receiving over Rs 1 lakh from inmates

Warden R Baskaran of Jolarpet was suspended following complaints that the 35 inmates, mostly from various villages in the Jawadhu hills were being ill-treated and basic facilities were denied to them..

When Tirupatthur Sub-Collector P Pankajam undertook a surprise inspection, inmates revealed that they were served food cooked in the morning in the night and that they received food donated from the nearby marriage halls. 

Inmates said a host of complaints against the warden. They said, when new inmates join the hostel, he would demand amounts ranging from Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000. He has stated that there were no government funds available and the inmates should spend from their pockets.

The visit also revealed that the inmates had no facilities including fans and lights. Pankajam recommended Baskaran’s suspension based on the above and also due to inmates complaining that he had till date collected more than Rs 1 lakh for unknown reasons. He was also told that as the warden did not stay on the premises, his visits were few and far between. Also when inmates fell ill at night they were taken to a local doctor by inmates themselves and not by the warden. Further investigations are still on.