National commission for scheduled castes meeting marred by absences of DC and SP

Ramanagara : The progress review meeting called by the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) at the Zilla Panchayat office hall in the city took an unexpected turn on Thursday when the DC and the SP failed to attend. Dr. Anju Bala, a member of the commission, expressed her strong disapproval at their absence and subsequently canceled the meeting before walking out.

Instead of attending the meeting DC Dr. Avinash Menon Rajendran sent ADC Shivananda Murthy while and Superintendent of Police Karthik Reddy sent additional SP T.V. Suresh to the meeting.

Conveying her great disappointment at the absence of the two key district officers, Dr. Anju Bala addressed the ZP CEO Digvijaya Bodke , instructing him to immediately call both of them. She expressed her shock at the apparent lack of seriousness regarding the commission meeting and noted the level of irresponsibility displayed. She then proceeded to cancel the meeting and left the premises.

The DC Avinash, arrived at the location while Anju was preparing to depart. Anju expressed her frustration upon seeing him and inquired about his absence at the meeting. She questioned the decision to organize the meeting at the Zilla Panchayat instead of the DC s office. The DC clarified that he was unable to attend due to a court hearing and mentioned that the office hall was chosen for the meeting.

Anju, visibly displeased, continued to voice her dissatisfaction with the officials' behavior and expressed concerns about potential consequences for the region. She then left the premises, met with members of the district awareness and incharge Committee, and highlighted the increase in violence against Scheduled Castes in the district, emphasizing a lack of action from the police and district administration.

In an effort to defuse the situation, the DC and SP attempted to pacify Anju, but she did not listen to them. She then handed out her visiting card to awareness committee members and told them to contact her for any kind of help.

Reflecting on the incident, Dr. Anju Bala stated that show cause notices would be issued to the DC and SP citing their disrespect and irresponsible behavior toward the commission. She emphasized that they would be summoned to Delhi for interrogation. Dr. Anju Bala also notified the principal secretary of the social welfare department, P. Manivannan, and expressed her intention for the state government to take action against the officials.

Following the exchange, Dr. Anju Bala left the hall and headed for her car. DC Avinash Menon, in a show of apology, followed her and expressed his regrets. Superintendent of Police Karthik Reddy, who had just arrived, explained that he had been unable to attend due to a prior office meeting and requested that the meeting be rescheduled.However, Dr. Anju Bala, unswayed by their pleas, made it clear that the commission held a position of responsibility, been appointed by the President, and their role involved providing vital information to the Prime Minister and being accountable to Parliament. She stressed that the commission's purpose was not casual and recreational, but rather, to gather crucial information about the community in the district within the supervision of six states.

Ultimately, the meeting for that day was canceled, with Dr. Anju Bala departing for Bangalore, stating that she would return once another date had been fixed.