Tamil Nadu official orders assistant to carry his shoes, sparks controversy

A controversy erupted in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday over a district collector allegedly asking his subordinate to carry his shoes, an allegation that the official rejected outright.

Videos of Kallakurichi collector Sravan Kumar Jatavath, which purportedly showed him asking the duffedar to carry his shoes before entering a temple, went viral, drawing criticism from many persons.

Speaking to PTI, Jatavath insisted he never instructed his subrodinate to carry his shoes.

Ahead of the world-famous 'Koovagam' festival, celebrated by transgenders from across the country and elsewhere, Jatavath visited the Koovagam Kuthandavar Temple to take stock of the arrangements made for the event. Kallakurichi is located about 240 km from Chennai.

While entering the temple, the official removed his shoes and allegedly asked his assistant to carry the footwear elsewhere. This sparked a controversy after the video in this connection went viral.

Jatavath denied any wrongdoing on his part.

"I never instructed the duffedar to carry my shoes. In fact the video is edited and misinterpreted. Reporters who were present in the field know that it (the allegation) is not true. Someone who was not in the field (present there) has edited and misinterpreted the incident," he claimed.

With the video going viral, many on social media platforms criticised the official.