Warns Natl. Commission for SC Vice-Chairman L. Murugan

Out of the 17 people killed in the Kichguth Maramma Prasadam Poisoning at Sulwadi in Hanur taluk of Chamarajanagar district, nine belong to SC communities and compensation will have to be paid according to Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and a memorandum has already been submitted. The surviving family members will be provided employment, housing and also compensation in cash. —L. Murugan, Vice-Chairman, National Commission for Scheduled Castes

Mysuru:  In order to provide safety and security to Pourakarmikas working in the districts, they must necessarily be given helmets, gloves and shoes, warned L. Murugan, Vice-Chairman, National Commission for Scheduled Castes.

He was chairing a review meeting of districts officials at Abdul Nazir Saab auditorium in the Zilla Panchayat premises here on Thursday. He gathered information from eight district officials who had participated in the meeting regarding caste atrocity cases filed, budgetary allocation for SC, ST development, Manhole Scavenger Act, and reviewed the implementation of State and Central Government schemes and special provisions provided for SC, ST and whether they were complied with.

He directed the officials to provide information about Pourakarmika contract workers’ ESI numbers, PF numbers and bank account and salary information within 15 days as they are not getting any of these benefits properly. He asked them to form task forces to create awareness regarding atrocities against SC, STs in hair cutting salons and temples. The Police were also asked to identify places where caste atrocities are happening.

The incidents of child labour where children below 18 years are working in sugar factories in Mandya district have come to the fore. Hence, Deputy Commissioners, Police Officers and Labour Department officials  must visit such places and take action against the owners and also see that such children are admitted in schools, he said.

There are several Central and State Government schemes implemented for Scheduled Castes and the officials concerned should see that proper steps are taken to reach the schemes to eligible beneficiaries, he said.

Later, addressing the media after the review meeting, Murugan said that Hassan had a high number of atrocity cases reported during the last three years and this included 87 cases during 2016-17, 102 during 2017-18 and 61 as on date during 2018-19.  

There were 76 cases reported in Mandya district during 2016-17, 84 in 2017-18 and 78 cases as on date during 2018-19.

In case of Mysuru district, there were 71 atrocity cases during 2016-17, 75 during 2017-18 and 54 as on date during 2018-19, he said.

Among the various forms of atrocities, caste abuse was most prominent, constituting more than 90 percent of the reported cases in all the districts.

This is followed by molestation and rape, while the third highest number of cases pertained to murder, he said and added that the SPs of the district have been told to identify the atrocity-prone areas and take measure to curb such practices that results in denial of services or access to public places to individuals such as entry to temples, lack of burial grounds etc., and monitor these places, he said.