The chairman of the Madhya Pradesh Scheduled Caste Commission alleged on Wednesday that the BJP-led state government was harassing him as the body decided to probe the incident in Guna where a dalit couple allegedly consumed pesticide and another couple from the family was beaten up by police.
The commission’s chairman Anand Ahirwar also claimed that he was not allowed to enter his office on Wednesday. The office, Ahirwar alleged, was locked after an order from the secretary, who said he had got the order to the effect from the state government.
“Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan cancelled on March 25 all the appointments made on different state commissions and boards by previous Congress-led state government. I challenged the state government’s order in the high court Jabalpur bench and got a stay on the government’s order,” said Ahirwar.
“I was coming to office daily and discharging my duties. On July 16 and 17, I visited Guna to probe the matter in which a dalit couple allegedly consumed pesticide and other members of the family were beaten up by police during an anti-encroachment action of the district administration. The police booked all the family members including the couple who consumed pesticide. Police admitted the couple to the hospital but didn’t provide any medical aid to those who were beaten up by police brutally,” he added.
“In the report, which I was about to submit to the state government on Wednesday, I recommended withdrawal of the criminal cases against the family and provide them with a ration card and also education to kids in the family. I also recommended that an FIR should be registered against the police. But before I could submit the report, the state government blocked my entry to my own office,” said the Scheduled Caste Commission chairman.
Despite repeated attempts, tribal department’s principal secretary Pallavi Jain Govil and commissioner Chandrashekhar Borkar couldn’t be reached for their comments. They didn’t respond to phone calls and text messages.
MP BJP spokesperson Rajnesh Agrawal said, “If Anand Ahirwar has any genuine grudge against the government he can lodge a complaint to the government authorities but he seems to be more interested in politicising the issues for obvious reasons. The state government took immediate action in respect with Guna incident and an inquiry has been ordered but still he is trying to draw political mileage from the same.”
