NHRC slams Salem Collector

Irked by the inaction of the Salem Collector on a complaint filed by members of the Scheduled Caste community, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Wednesday issued a notice to the Collector asking why action should not be invoked against him under provisions of Section 4 of the Prevention of Atrocities Act.

The said provision mandates that “if a public servant, who is not a member of the Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe, deliberately neglects his duties which he should perform under the Act, he is liable for punishment with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than six months, and may extend to a year.”

Petitioner Sundari, who belongs to the Adi Dravida community in Salem, said she had married a Caste Hindu. As the marriage was inter-caste, the government under late Chief Minister M G Ramachandran had allotted a piece of land under an incentive scheme.

However, after her husband died, Sundari alleged that  persons belonging to his community in the area had been refusing to allow her  access to the land and to build a house for over 25 years.

Hearing the complaint, commission member Satyabrata Pal said that a report submitted by the District Collector had confirmed that the members of the Caste Hindu community had repeatedly sought legal recourse to scuttle her idea of accessing the land and build a house. However, these petitions have all been rejected in due course.

Despite this being in the knowledge of the administration for 25 years, the complainant had been continuously victimised by persons belonging to other castes with the officers of the State failing to give her protection. “The commission considers this completely unacceptable,” he observed. Therefore, the officials had committed offences under Section 4 of the Prevention of Atrocities Act.

The Commission then asked the Collector to show cause as to why action under the section should not be initiated, and ordered that the petitioner’s right to access the land be restored immediately.