Krishnagiri woman alleges casteism, decries lack of help from police, district admin

KRISHNAGIRI: An official from Kamandoddi panchayat alleged in a video posted on social media on Friday in that the police and the district administration are not supporting her in her case against a panchayat secretary, who she allegedly had used casteist slurs against her. Meanwhile, the police officials stated that there is no evidence to prove the incident.

As per police, T Selvarani (38) from Hosur, works as a project coordinator in Kamandoddi panchayat and she lodged a complaint against Kamandoddi panchayat secretary C Maheswari (38) for allegedly abusing her using casteist slurs on August 10.

Selvarani alleged that Maheswari asked her to enter wrong data about the progress of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act work in a register at the panchayat office in Kamandoddi, but when Selvarani refused to do so, Maheswari abused her using casteist slurs.

Following this, she filed a complaint and Shoolagiri police booked a case against Maheshwari in October.
However, in a video posted on Friday, she alleged that the police is not supporting her. A district rural development agency official said, “We have conducted enquiries, but as there is no evidence of the act, we cannot take any action against the secretary.”

Hosur Assistant Superintendent of Police BK Arvind also stated that no action can be taken again the secretary as there is no evidence to prove the complainant’s claim. Kamandoddi panchayat president T Jothi Lakshmi, who also belongs to a Scheduled Caste, said that she and her husband were present in the panchayat office when the secretary allegedly abused Selvarani.