Tamil Nadu Dalit panchayat chief humiliated, not allowed to sit on a chair at meetings
Cuddalore (TN): A woman Dalit panchayat president in the district was allegedly humiliated by the vice president, who did not allow her to sit on a chair at meetings or hoist the national flag, drawing widespread condemnation from political parties.
Police are on the lookout for the vice president Mohan Raj, while panchayat secretary Sinduja has been suspended. The incident also led to an outrage in social media.
The alleged disgrace came to light after a photograph of S Rajeswari, president of Therku Thittai village under Mel Buvanagiri Panchayat Union sitting on the floor at a meeting and others on chairs went viral in the social media, prompting authorities to swing into action.
District Collector Chandra Sekhar Sakhamuri and Police Superintendent M Sree Abhinav went to the village and held an enquiry on Saturday.
The Police officer said Rajeswari named the panchayat vice president and secretary in her complaint and a case has been registered against the duo under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act for offences, including humiliation.
"We will take a statement from her, investigate and appropriate action will be taken," Abhinav told reporters.
To a question, he said there would be no threat to her life, adding adequate police personnel have been deployed in the village.
"Other ward members too have realised what has gone wrong," he said.
The Collector said four meetings have been held in the panchayat office so far. The panchayat president, Sakshe, was forced to sit on the floor while some ward members claimed that she did so voluntarily, the Collector said.
"The inquiry is going on, based on her complaint. Strict action as per law will be taken against those involved," he said.
Asked about the photograph, he said the image shows July 17, 2020 as the date when it was clicked.
A show cause notice has been issued to Mohan under the Tamil Nadu Panchayats Act's provision,governing removal of the vice president and appropriate action would be taken, he said.
Rajeswari, when asked why she had not complained earlier, said she initially tolerated the vice president's behaviour, but decided to lodge a complaint now when his ill treatment intensified.
Only the vice-president hoisted the national flag and she was not allowed to do so (during important occasions), she alleged. Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar said it was 'barbaric' and promised tough action as per law.
The AIADMK government had all along given due respect and recognition for the marginalised people, including Scheduled Castes and Tribes, he said.
MDMK general secretary Vaiko said such humiliation was outrageous, while DMK MP Kanimozhi said it was strongly condemnable and the leaders demanded tough action.
Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi Thol Thirumavalavan demanded the immediate arrest of those involved for obstructing the official work of the panchayat president.
Not only Theruku Thittai, the scenario was the same in several other villages, the VCK leader alleged and urged the government to review the situation and take appropriate remedial action.
Meanwhile, cadres of VCK and Left outfits gathered in front of the Buvanagiri police station in the district, demanding the arrest of the vice president and secretary.
The incident comes months after a woman Dalit panchayat president in Tiruvallur district was not allowed to unfurl the national flag on Independence Day.
She did so later following the intervention of district authorities.
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BJP worker’s 16-year-old son allegedly casts eight votes in Uttar Pradesh’s Farrukhabad; Video viral
Lucknow (Farrukhabad): A viral video has surfaced showing a 16-year-old son of a BJP worker allegedly casting eight votes to the saffron party during the ongoing general elections in Uttar Pradesh. The video has sparked controversy, and the opposition has urged for prompt action from the Election Commission of India, reports scroll.in.
The video shared by the Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav on micro-blogging site ‘X’, showed the youngster recording himself while casting multiple times in a series of instances. The incident reportedly took place in Khiri Pamaran village, which falls under the Aliganj Assembly constituency within the Farrukhabad parliamentary seat. Mukesh Rajput, the sitting MP, is the BJP candidate in this constituency. Polling in Farrukhabad occurred on May 13 during the fourth phase of the general election.
In the viral video, the youngster is seen casting eight votes in total, all for the BJP, one by one with different clippings.
The youngster in the video has been identified as Rajan Singh Thakur, confirmed his father, Anil Singh Thakur to the Scroll.in. Anil Singh Thakur is the gram pradhan (village head) of Khiri Pamaran and a member of the BJP.
Anil defending his son told the Scroll that the ‘Video misrepresented his son,’ and claimed that the voting was done when the machine was being tested in some instances and other clipping of him voting on behalf of mentally and physically disabled voters was merged and made into a video.
Despite the Anil's caims, the video has drawn significant criticism. Subhash Chandra Prajapati, the additional district magistrate of Farrukhabad, confirmed to the Scroll that the administration will file a case soon. He mentioned that the returning officer is investigating the matter following a directive from the chief electoral officer in Lucknow.
The opposition has been vocal in its criticism, with Akhilesh Yadav demanding action from the Election Commission. In his social media post, Yadav accused the BJP of undermining the electoral process and described the party's booth committee as a "loot committee." The Congress party also called on the Election Commission to take action, in a ‘X’ post the party wrote, “Dear Election Commission…are you watching..a boy is voting 8-8 times ... .at least wake up now.”
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, took to ‘X’ to express, “Fearing and seeing their defeat, the BJP is attempting to undermine democracy by pressuring government machinery to deny the mandate. The Congress expects all officers performing election duties to remember their constitutional responsibilities despite any pressure from those in power. Otherwise, once the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc government is formed, actions will be taken to ensure that anyone will think ten times before violating their 'Oath to the Constitution'."
Following the video's circulation, Naval Kishor Shakya, the Samajwadi Party candidate in Farrukhabad, filed a complaint with the district election officer. Shakya's complaint alleges that Rajan Singh Thakur cast votes after snatching voter information slips from other voters and that he was assisted by Dinesh Thakur, the local police station's station house officer. Shakya has called for re-polling at the affected polling center.
In a related incident earlier in May, Gujarat Police arrested two BJP workers for allegedly casting bogus votes and live-streaming the act on social media in the Dahod constituency. The Election Commission conducted re-polling at the affected booth following the incident.
The opposition INDIA bloc, including the Congress and the Samajwadi Party, has repeatedly accused the Election Commission of failing to take prompt action against election model code of conduct violations.
अपनी हार सामने देख कर भाजपा जनादेश को झुठलाने के लिए सरकारी तंत्र पर दबाव बना कर लोकतंत्र को लूटना चाहती है।
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 19, 2024
कांग्रेस चुनावी ड्यूटी कर रहे सभी अधिकारियों से यह अपेक्षा करती है कि वो सत्ता के दबाव के सामने अपनी संवैधानिक ज़िम्मेदारी न भूलें।
वरना INDIA की सरकार बनते ही ऐसी… https://t.co/fk4wXL8QZy
