A case of impersonation has been registered against a cook for lying about her caste and marital status to a Brahmin family in Pune who wanted a married Brahmin woman cooking for them during a ritual.
The Indian Express reports that the case had been filed by 50-year-old Medha Vinayak Khole, a Deputy Director General of Weather Forecasting at the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The case was reportedly filed at the Sinhagad police station on Thursday.
Khole refused to speak to the newspaper at the moment but in her complaint to the police, she reportedly says that their family performs the ritual ‘Sowala’ every year. In her complaint, she reportedly says that a married Brahmin woman cooks during the ritual.
Khole reportedly says that in May 2016, a woman claimed that she was a married Brahmin and wanted to apply for the job. She adds that the woman, who called herself Nirmala Kulkarni, cooked at the rituals during August this year and that she had been paid between Rs 15,000 and Rs 20,000 since she was hired for the job.
The complaint reportedly says that Khole found out from a priest that Nirmala was not a Brahmin. Khole says in the complaint that when she confronted her on Wednesday, she mentioned that her last name was not Kulkarni but Yadav, and that she wasn’t a Brahmin. Khole says in the complaint that the confrontation led to Nirmala abusing and manhandling her.
Khole reportedly filed a complaint against Nirmala Yadav despite the police advising against it, also alleging that her religious sentiments were hurt. “An FIR has been lodged on the basis of allegations made by the complainant. Further action will be taken as per the outcome of the investigation,” Assistant police inspector Jyoti Gadkari told the newspaper.
