Dalits flay delay in solving Venur cheating case

Mangalore, November 7: Dalit leaders expressed acute contempt over the delay in solving the Venur atrocities case.

During the SC/ST grievances meet held on Sunday at SP Office in presence of Superintendent of Police Labhu Ram, Dalit leader Shekar calling the incident nothing less than an atrocity said that the lady in question was cheated by a man promising her marriage. He however, abandoned her without marrying her. The lady gave birth to a baby on September 10, 2011 in a hospital in Mangalore. Though a case was filed couple of months ago, the police have not been able to nab the culprit.

Responding to the same, Investigation Officer, Additional SP Prabhakar, said that it is wrong on the part of the community members to say that the police has not done its duty or is unnecessarily delaying action against the culprit.

“We are on a look out for the culprit who is absconding since a long time now. On receiving some information, we had even sent team to Mumbai to track him down, but it was in vain,” he said adding that once the culprit is nabbed, then there is a long procedure of collecting DNA samples of both the culprit and the baby and receiving report to see if the samples match. However, collection of details is going on, said Prabhakar.

Dalit Leader Keshava said that Scheduled Caste families living on 1.80 acre land at Barya village have been left in lurch because attempts are now on to evict them from this land.

“The land was allotted for Dalits in 1979 but the sanction was cancelled in 1983. Now some vested interests are trying their level best to get the Dalit families out of this place,” he said adding that the Dalit families have the right over this land and this right must be restored.

Responding to this, the SP said that he will direct the Tahshildar concerned to take up re-survey of the land at the earliest.

Leader S P Anand said that though the grievances meet to be held by the police department is being conducted regularly, the meeting to be conducted by the Deputy Commissioner has not been held. “There are a lot of issues which needs to be brought to the notice of the DC. The relief available to the Dalits under Atrocities Act, which ranges from Rs 25,000-50,000, has been reduced to Rs 5,000. This should not have happened,” he said adding that the applications for subsidy for self employment applied to Ambedkar Welfare Board are not being issued on time to the applicants.