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Superintendent of Police Dr A S Rao told Dalit leaders at a monthly grievance meet held here on Sunday that according to forensic experts, the Minister’s farm labourer Rajappa Gowda might have committed suicide. “The police have conducted inquiry in a proper manner. The autopsy report, photographs and videographs were sent to the forensic laboratory in Bangalore. They have informed us that there is no evidence to prove murder, but at the same time, the circumstances indicates possibilities of suicide. However, we will proceed the inquiry only after receiving a written report from the forensic experts,” Rao said.
In the previous meeting held on September 5, Dalit Sangharsha Samiti Leader S P Ananda and others blamed that the police was trying to hush up the case of death of Rajappa Gowda. They also had alleged Nagaraj Shetty’s involvement in the incident.
‘Delay in inquiry’
Shivananda Pandru, a Dalit leader from Mudbidri alleged police of delaying the inquiry into the case of death of a villager Seetharama Ajila at Panjigaru in Sullia. He said that Ajila’s body was found on the roadside a month ago. “Though there were bruises on the body of Ajila, the police are trying to conclude the issue as a case of suicide,” he added.
Pandru brought to the notice of the SP that two villagers Subramanya and Poovappa had assaulted Ajila, a day before his death. He pointed out that Ajila might have died following the attack.
SP Rao said that the blood and viscera collected from Ajila’s body were sent for forensic analysis. Action will be taken based on the report, he added.
In another case, Sesamma Peraja, a Dalit of Peraje village in Vittal, said that a group of four miscreants had misbehaved with her and assaulted her husband on July 27. However, she said, “the police failed to act that only three were arrested so far. Though I had mentioned in my complaint that the miscreants had arrived in a mini bus, the police seized two motorbikes. Police refused to seize the mini bus even though I had informed them its register number,” she alleged.
The SP promised that inquiry will be conducted properly and the mini bus will seized, if allegations were proved.
‘Mansa is a derogatory word’
Former Zilla Panchayat President Somnath Nayak said that many media and people call ‘Adi Dravida’ community as ‘Mansa’, which is a derogatory word. Hence, he requested, “police should ensure that people should not use such derogatory term to call Adi Dravidas.”
SP Rao said that he would ask clarifications with regard to the name of the community from the officials concerned. “If the word was found to be derogatory, we will issue circular to all media banning the use of the word,” he added.