The National Commission for Scheduled Castes suo motu (on its own) sought reports from the Tamil Nadu government and police on the alleged casteist slur made by a state minister against an official, the Commission's Vice Chairman Arun Halder said here on Monday. Appropriate action would be initiated against the minister if it was proved that he had insulted the official, Halder said. "The Commission has suo motu asked for reports and video footage from the Tamil Nadu government and asked the police to verify the authenticity of the video in which the Minister for Backward Classes R S Rajakannappan was heard insulting the Ramanathapuram BDO (Block Development Officer)," the Vice Chairman said. Speaking to reporters here after a special hearing of four cases including the one in which the minister was said to be involved, Halder said forensic experts have been asked to verify the authenticity of the video and submit a report to the Commission soon. "We will take appropriate action if the minister was found insulting the BDO," Halder added. Immediately after the reported incident of Rajakannappan's casteist slur surfaced in March this year, Chief Minister M K Stalin divested him of his Transport portfolio and allotted him Backward Classes Welfare department. In another case, the Commission directed the Nilgiris district administration to provide power connections to residents belonging to the SCs in Ooty within a week and also issue pattas to the third-generation SCs within a month. Halder took a stern stance on a group of Christians from Tenkasi claiming to be SC and directed the district authorities to cancel their SC community certificates. "It is either SC or Christians. SC Christian is unconstitutional. I told the collector to cancel their SC certificates," the Vice Chairman said.
