Gamang Seeks Intervention Of ST Commission On Burning Of His Effigy

23 July,Bhubaneswar

Former Odisha chief minister Giridhar Gamang Thursday urged the Chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes to investigate and take action against those involved in burning his effigy and photographs.

In a petition to the Chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, Mr, Gamang, also a former Union minister, said he sought the intervention of the Commission stating that the police did nothing on the FIR filed by him despite drawing the attention of the State Director General of Police.

Gamang said he had filed an FIR at the Jeypore police station on July 8 over the June 18 incident in which seven people had burnt his effigy and photographs at Jeypore. The tribal leader, who had recently quit the Congress and joined the BJP, said being a tribal, the incident attracted chapter II, section 3, sub section X of the ST/SC Atrocity Act.

He alleged that despite showing the clause of the ST/SC Atrocity Act, the FIR filed by him was not registered by the IIC of the Jeypore Police station.

By not registering the FIR, the police officer, Mr Gamang said had committed the crime under chapter II, section 4, section 9 and sub section 1.2 and 3 of the ST/SC Act.

The former Union Minister said he had even attached a copy of the FIR to the State Director General of Police with the hope that the DGP will give appropriate order to the police official to act on his FIR, but nothing happened.

He alleged that despite the crime committed under various sections of the ST/SC Act, the DSP, SP and the DGP did not perform their duty as per the law. Gamang requested the Chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribe to investigate the matter and take appropriate action against all those involved in the incident.