'Vandalized shops, houses speak of atrocities on Dalits': NCSC chairman post Bengal visit

In a key development, the Chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) Vijay Sampla, who is on a two-day visit to West Bengal, on meeting the families in Nabargram village in East Bardhaman was left speechless. All he could say was that the plight of the people of the families belonging to the Scheduled Caste in the state was evident from the 'broken roof', the 'scattered household', and 'locked house of the complainant and the extended family'. 

According to the press statement by the Commission, 12 shops belonging to members of the Scheduled Caste community were vandalized on May 3 in Milikpara village of East Bardhaman district, and this was not the first time, in the past few months, the commission had received ''n'' number of complaints of atrocities, which finally pushed Sampla to schedule a visit. However, when Sampla visited the house of the complainant he found it locked, and even the administration and the police officers were clueless about his whereabouts. He, however, met and had conversations with others, whose shops were burnt in the region. 

West Bengal govt does not approve of visit

During a High Cout proceeding on Monday, the West Bengal government had asserted that not a single incident of post-poll violence had been reported in the state after May 8 while the NCSC claimed it has been receiving letters and complaints of atrocities against Dalits in the state, ever since the assembly results were declared on May 2. Not taking into consideration the views of the government, and the continuous urge to cancel the visit, the chairman of the commission decided to proceed and is already in the state taking stock of the situation. 

It is pertinent to mention here that the Commission, which is a constitutional body established to provide safeguards against the exploitation of Scheduled Castes, has joined a growing number of Central government bodies that have been quick to send fact-finding teams to the state or shoot off letters to the local government following post-poll violence that has rocked the state. 

(Credit-NCSC_GOI/Twitter)