Kuppegala: SC commission seeks report

The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) has sought a report from the State government on the incidents of discrimination at the government higher primary school in Kuppegala village near Mysuru.

A section of upper caste parents reportedly forced their children to skip midday meals prepared at the school after a dalit was appointed assistant cook.

The NCSC member, P M Kamalamma, condemned the discrimination and said that the commission would look into the report and suggest appropriate action to be taken by the State. “We have not come across such discrimination anywhere in the country,” she told reporters here on Friday. “This is condemnable.”

Kamalamma, who is on a seve-day visit to Karnataka to look into the problems faced by dalits, said she would visit Mysuru on Monday and meet the representatives of dalit organisations. But she was noncommittal on visiting the Kuppegala school.

Besides, she said, she has so far come across 150 pending atrocities cases against dalits and directed the officials concerned to take immediate action to dispose of them. The police play an important role in ensuring justice to those subjected to various atrocities. The commission will conduct hearings for all these pending cases and suggest appropriate action, she said.

The commission has decided to visit all the states every three months, conduct hearings to understand the problems faced by dalits and monitor implementation of schemes taken up under the SC sub-plan.