Ramanagara: A progress review meeting convened by the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) at the Zilla Panchayat office hall took an unexpected turn as the District Collector (DC) and Superintendent of Police (SP) failed to attend. Dr. Anju Bala, a commission member, expressed strong disapproval at their absence, subsequently canceling the meeting and leaving the venue.
Instead of the DC, Dr. Avinash Menon Rajendran sent the Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC), Shivananda Murthy, while the Superintendent of Police, Karthik Reddy, sent the Additional Superintendent of Police, T.V. Suresh, as their representatives.
Dr. Anju Bala, visibly disappointed by the absence of these key district officers, instructed the Zilla Panchayat CEO, Digvijaya Bodke, to call them immediately. She expressed shock at the perceived lack of seriousness and irresponsibility in handling the commission meeting. Consequently, she canceled the meeting and left.
The DC, Avinash, arrived as Anju was preparing to leave, and she questioned him about his absence, emphasizing her frustration. She also inquired about the choice of the Zilla Panchayat as the meeting location instead of the DC’s office. The DC explained that he couldn’t attend due to a court hearing and clarified the choice of the office hall for the meeting.
Despite efforts from the DC and SP to pacify Anju, she remained resolute. She distributed her visiting card to awareness committee members, offering them assistance and left the scene.
Dr. Anju Bala mentioned that show cause notices would be issued to the DC and SP for their disrespect and irresponsible behavior towards the commission. She highlighted their summons to Delhi for further questioning. She also informed 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 for Bangalore, indicating her willingness to return once another meeting date had been scheduled.
