CH NEWS
Bengaluru
Marasandra Muniyappa, State president of the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Religious Minorities Federation, has demanded that the FIR registered against two Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) members and three Scheduled Caste candidates be quashed.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Muniyappa alleged that the Vidhana Soudha police registered the FIR based on three complaints filed by Kantha Kumar without conducting a thorough preliminary investigation.
The individuals named in the complaints include KPSC members Bojanayak and Shantha Hosamani, and candidates Anup S., Mandir and Mamita. Muniyappa alleged that the complaints contained speculative claims about candidates allegedly paying money to KPSC members to secure posts.
He questioned why only Scheduled Caste members and candidates had been named when the commission has several members. He also pointed out that, according to him, the complaints did not include documentary evidence or identify the source of the alleged information.
The interviews for the posts concerned were conducted in May and June after completion of the preliminary and main examinations. Muniyappa said the interviews were completed in the second week of June, while the complaint was filed around 20 days later.
“It is inexcusable that the police took action based on a complaint made without evidence and based on assumptions.”
Muniyappa alleged that the complaints were intended to intimidate members of the Scheduled Castes and damage their dignity. He demanded disciplinary action against police personnel if dereliction of duty was established.
He also urged the government to take preventive measures to ensure that similar incidents do not recur and called for legal action against those responsible for allegedly making baseless accusations.
Representatives of several Dalit and social organisations attended the press conference, including Basavaraj Kautal, P. Murthy, Prof. B. Krishnappa, Jeevanhalli Narayan, Kodigal Ramesh, S. Gangadhar, Thyagaraj and Venugopal Maury.
Demand for action
Marasandra Muniyappa urged the government to quash the FIR and investigate the circumstances under which it was registered. He also sought departmental disciplinary action if police officials are found to have neglected procedures. Muniyappa alleged that the complaints lacked supporting documents and relied on speculation. He called for preventive measures to protect Scheduled Caste candidates and KPSC members from what he described as unfounded allegations.