Dalits condemn Dakshina Kannada DC's 'behaviour', demand his transfer

Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner Dr K G Jagadeesha has insulted dalits by walking out of the SC/ST grievance redressal meeting recently, said CPI(M) state committee general secretary Mavalli Shankar.

Dr Jagadeesha should leave Dakshina Kannada voluntarily or else the state government should transfer him, demanded Shankar.

He was speaking during a protest meet under the aegis of DK District Dalita Sanghatanegala Samanvaya Samiti in front of the deputy commissioner’s office in Mangaluru on Monday.

‘Anti-dalit’

Claiming the deputy commissioner to be an anti-dalit, the general secretary said that the officer did not have the minimum courtesy to listen to the woes of dalits.

When the issue of allocation of DC Manna land to dalits was being discussed, he walked out of the meeting. He should be immediately transferred for his obnoxious behaviour.

The DC had also spoken bluntly on sanctioning DC Manna land to dalits while the landless were demanding their rights. A case should be registered against him as per the Prevention of Atrocities Act, Shankar demanded.

Encroachment

As per the regulations, the DC Manna lands should only be allocated to dalits. However, many rich and influential persons have encroached the DC Manna land in the district. Assurances by Revenue Minister Kagodu Thimmappa have only been eye wash and the provision of DC Manna land remains a dream.

The state government should soon clear the encroachments by influential persons and allocate land to landless dalits, he added.

Earlier to the protest meet, the dalits took out a protest rally from Balmatta to the DC’s office premises.

DSS leaders Laxminarayana Nagwar, Shrinivas Bhandary, Rohitaksha, Devdas, Nirmal Kumar, Raghuvir and Sarojini were present during the protest.