PUCL wants action against police personnel

The district unit of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) urged the government to take action against the police personnel who assisted in the demolition of a Dalit woman’s house.

The house of 75-year-old Kaveri’s house at Mukka near Surathkal on May 10.

Eshwar Raj, PUCL district president, told reporters on Hotel Woodlands on Saturday that the house was gotten demolished by Geetha Hegde.

Records

“The Revenue Department records confirmed that the plot is ‘samudra paramboku’ land and belonging to the government. The tahsildar, however, failed to produce the relevant documents in court in time and also convince the court that the house was on government land. The tahsildar also ignored the deputy commissioner’s order to submit a report. On the contrary, the tahsildar filed a trespassing case against the Dalit family,” the president explained.

Kaveri had applied for regularisation of the land under the Akram Sakrama system long ago, Eshwar Raj said. “There had been no order from the court to demolish the house,” he pointed out.

He also charged that the tahsildar had acted in a biased manner to help Geetha.

Police protection

Dalita Sangharsha Samiti (DSS) leader S P Anand said that the police had provided protection to Geetha and her workers while demolishing the house of Kaveri.

“When the residents and the family members protested, the Surathkal circle inspector threatened them that they would have to face dire consequences. The police also snatched the cell phones of those recording the demolition and had deleted the video clippings,” he alleged.

“The act of snatching the cell phones reveals the high-handedness of the police personnel. Even though an FIR had been registered under the Dalit atrocity law, the accused were not arrested within 20 hours. A memorandum was submitted to Social Welfare Minister Priyank Kharge,” said the DSS leader.

Case with KSHRC

Anand, condemning the act, said that a case would be filed with the Karnataka State Human Rights Commission.

PUCL general secretary Ajay D’Silva, member Ramesh Kumar, Dalit Sangharsha Samiti Women’s Wing member Yashoda and Kaveri’s daughters Varija and Padmavati were present.