18 officers booked for skipping meeting

Criminal cases have been registered against 18 officers in the district for their failure to attend a meeting of the District Vigilance and Monitoring Committee on Atrocities against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

According to the complaint lodged by the district social welfare officer, a meeting of the committee was called on January 30, under the chairmanship of the deputy commissioner and notices were issued to all the members of the committee and the officials.

A majority of the officials stayed away from the meeting and the members of the committee boycotted the meeting taking serious exception to the absence of the officials, the complaint said, and requested the rural police to register a case under Section 4 of The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.

Accordingly, the police have registered a case against 18 officials who include district forest officer, executive engineer Bescom, deputy director of public instruction, municipal commissioner, tahsildar, executive officers of taluk panchayats and chief officers of town panchayats.