Jagatsinghpur SP Satyabrat Bhoi on Tuesday said the allegation of Health Minister and local legislator Damodar Rout issuing anti-Dalit remarks at a public meeting last year was false.
A DSP was asked to conduct an inquiry into the case and during investigation, it was found that allegation against the Minister was false, the SP told this paper.
A report in this regard was submitted by the SP to the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC). Bhoi had recently appeared before the NCSC in connection with the alleged anti-Dalit remark of Rout.
The Minister had allegedly made the remark at a public meeting during ‘Ravan Podi’ at Paradip on October 24 last year. He had said that no comparison can be drawn between King Ram and Ram Kandara. Kandara is a scheduled caste.
Subsequently, acting on a petition filed by Dalit leader Manoj Patra, NCSC Chairman PL Punia had issued a notice to DGP to appear before the Commission. The SP appeared on behalf of DGP. Patra had also lodged an FIR in Paradip police station against the Minister.
President of National Confederation of Dalit Organisations Ashok Mallick, who had also sought intervention of NCSC in the case, accused the police of being ‘biased’. “It is a baseless report. Following the incident, the police did not submit a report for eight months. The inquiry report that was submitted before the NCSC was prepared within two weeks. We will appeal to the NCSC against the report submitted by the SP on August 26,” he said.
Investigation
■ A DSP was asked to conduct an inquiry into the case and during investigation
■ The investigation proved that allegation against the Minister was false
■ A report in this regard was submitted by the SP to the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC)