Pics: Savitha B R
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (SB)

Mangalore, Mar 23: The Gram Panchayat Officers' Federation at the zilla panchayat office here on Wednesday March 23 held a protest demanding justice against the mental and physical harassment of the officers in the various gram panchayat offices in the Dakshina Kannada district.

The officers came united and submitted a memorandum to the effect to the chief executive officer P Shivashankar. The protestors said that the officers are shocked due to the incident of assault by the GP member Sdhakar Alva on the fellow officer Jagadish, who is posted at malady GP under Beltangady taluk. The incident occurred On Tuesday March 22 at around 1.00 pm when Alva and Jagadish were discussing Mahatma Gandhi National Employment Guarantee Scheme. The officer was explaining to Alva why the bills could not be paid under the scheme as there were technical lapses. Soon the enraged Alva verbally abused and also assaulted Jagadish. Jagadish is now being treated at the hospital.

The officers on protest expressed that the above incident has made them come out in the open about the mental harassment being meted out in return to their sincere service after the current physical harassment towards them. This has deterred us from discharging our responsibilities, they added. The protestors demanded the officer to take action against Alva by filing a criminal case against him and also suspending him from being the GP member. If failed they threatened to intensify the protest and also urged to provide proper security befoe any untoward incidents happens to them in future.

The copies of memorandum has been submitted to office of district in-charge minister, deputy commissioner, superintendent of police, chief minister, governor and minister for rural development and panchayat raj among others.