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Journalism of Courage
The Kerala Human Rights Commission has registered a case and sought an explanation from the secretary,taxes department,after the office and car used by a Scheduled Caste state government officer was allegedly cleansed with cowdung after his retirement from service.
Former Inspector General of Registration A K Ramakrishnan,who retired on March 31,petitioned the rights panel,saying the inhumane behaviour had insulted him and all backward communities. The panel has sought a report by May 7.
Ramakrishnan said the incident took place on April 1,after the new IG assumed office. On the first day,a section of officials reportedly sprayed cowdung-mixed water on the office furniture,the threshold and the official vehicle. Ramakrishnan claimed that in order to refute allegations that this was done because he was a Dalit,cowdung-water was sprayed in the entire office the next day.
Ramakrishnan said a section of officials had borne a grudge against him since he took over five years ago,and cracked down on some of them. That might have provoked a section in the office. On the day I retired,there had been celebrations by bursting crackers, he said.
Calling it an insult to the SC community and a violation of their human rights,Ramakrishnan said if a senior officer could be treated like this,one could well imagine what officials at junior levels might be facing.
In a similar incident in November 2010,the chamber of the panchayat president at Elanthur had been found cleansed with cowdung-water after the president belonging to the SC community demitted office.
