Lucknow, July 10 (Inditop.com) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati Friday made clear that Dalits would remain on top of her list of priorities.
Alarmed by the spate of atrocities against Dalits in different parts of the state, the chief minister got a special government order issued to ensure that such cases are handled by senior policemen, who would be held responsible for any tardiness.
“Henceforth, every case of atrocity on Dalits would have to be necessarily attended to by officers of the level of deputy inspector general (DIG) of police and senior superintendent of police (SSP), who would be required to personally visit the victims,” Mayawati told a press conference here Friday evening.
“They would be required to keep the director general of police posted with every single case of crime against Dalits on that very day,” she said. “DIGs and SSPs would be held directly responsible for any lax handling of such cases,” Mayawati added.
Two similar government orders have been issued to make clear the chief minister’s assertion on ensuring protection of women and handling of caste and communal violence.
The chief minister made it clear that she would not tolerate any laxity on the part of senior police officials in handling cases of crime against women as well as matters relating to caste and communal violence.
“In such cases too, DIGs and SSPs would have to make sure that they visit the place of the incident and promptly send their reports to the state police chief, failing which they would have to face the music,” asserted Mayawati.
Later while talking to mediapersons, state Cabinet Secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh admitted that the new government orders were necessitated because “it was found that officials down the line were not truly sensitive and responsive towards the plight of the poor and socially downtrodden and towards women”.
He said: “Taking serious note of the complacent attitude of officials, the chief minister had over the past ordered severe punishment in some cases, but a message was now necessary to ensure that everyone pulls up his socks.”
Of late, Uttar Pradesh DGP Vikram Singh has already been making it a point to visit every village from where atrocities against Dalits were reported.
rounak