Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)

Mangalore, Mar 19: At the taluk level meeting on prevention of atrocities on scheduled castes and tribes and to consider other issues affecting the dalits, which was held here on Friday March 18, participants demanded for making suitable alternative arrangements while evicting people from houses built on encroached government land.

Assistant commissioner, Prabhulinga Kavalikatti, who presided over the meeting, said that information about the government land in the district is being pooled together, and promised to take a proper decision once this work is completed.

P Keshava, leader of Dalit Sangharsh Samiti, said that the district administration had remained a mute spectator when these people had encroached upon the government land. Therefore, he said that evicting people from these lands without providing them any alternative sites is not justifiable.

Keshava also said that efforts are being made some police officials to hoist false cases on the Samiti leaders with the specific aim of humbling the organization. He wanted this to be stopped. Panambur assistant commissioner of police, Puttamadaiah, denied that police cases were backed by malicious intentions, adding that the police are obliged to register complaints, irrespective of who filed them.