A three-month-long caste dispute at an anganwadi centre in Odisha’s Kendrapara district concluded on Monday as upper-caste children returned to the facility and consumed meals prepared by a Dalit woman helper.
Out of the 20 enrolled children, 16 attended the Nuagaon village centre, accompanied by their parents to accept food cooked by the helper, Sharmistha Sethy, while those absent were reported to be unwell.
The anganwadi centre remained shut since November 21 last year following Sethy’s appointment. Several upper-caste families had previously refused to send their children to the centre or accept government-supplied nutritious food for pregnant and lactating mothers, citing the helper’s caste.
The standoff drew national attention and sparked outrage, reaching as far as Parliament. Congress President and Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, was among those who voiced significant concern regarding workplace caste discrimination following the incident.
On Monday, Kendrapara Child Development Project Officer (CDPO) Dipali Mishra and Rajnagar MLA Dhruba Charan Sahoo visited the centre to welcome the children.
Expressing her joy, Sethy said, “I served ragi ladoos to the children. Later, I cooked rice and ‘dalma’ (vegetable curry) and served the children. Seeing them eat the meals made me overjoyed. They also played with toys, bringing back life to the centre, which was left deserted for around three months.”
“I hope caste discrimination will not lurk its ugly head in the village anymore,” she added.
CDPO Mishra added that the return of the children restored a sense of vibrancy to the community. “The centre functioned sans the children for almost three months due to some villagers’ disagreement over the appointment of Sharmistha Sethy as the anganwadi centre helper. Now, the vibrancy is back,” Mishra said.
On the absentees, the CDPO said they could not join as they are not well. She expressed confidence that the remaining children would return by Tuesday.
“People have decided to relegate the differences to the background. This is heartening,” she added.
Rajnagar MLA Dhruba Charan Sahoo characterised the conflict as “a thing of the past,” expressing hope that the newfound camaraderie among villagers would remain intact.
Taking to his X account, Kendrapara MP and BJP national vice president Baijayant Panda said, “Delighted at children having a nutritious meal today at the Nuagaon anganwadi, which I had reviewed yesterday and had a wonderful lunch along with local leaders and villagers. It was heartening to see the community coming together to ensure great beginnings for their children.”
Panda, who is from the Brahmin community, had visited the village on Sunday to join a communal feast where Sethy served the guests, a symbolic move intended to break the social deadlock and encourage the villagers to follow suit.
Delighted at children having a nutritious meal today at the Nuagaon Anganwadi which I had reviewed yesterday and had a wonderful lunch along with local leaders and villagers. It was heartening to see the community coming together to ensure great beginnings for their children. https://t.co/zfyAn7Uwb2 pic.twitter.com/7zR6Re6BbA
— Baijayant Jay Panda (@PandaJay) February 16, 2026
Sujata Nayak, a member of the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR), praised the children’s return and announced that the commission would launch an awareness campaign to safeguard children’s rights.
Kendrapara district sub-collector Arun Nayak had earlier said the matter was resolved in the presence of stakeholders, including members of the SCPCR and Odisha State Commission for Women, as the officials sensitised villagers on the matter.
