In a case of caste discrimination, candidates appearing for the post of constables in Madhya Pradesh’s Dhar were allegedly labelled with their caste on their chest during medical examination at a district hospital, reported ANI.
Superintendent of Police Birendra Singh took cognisance of the matter and said, “It is a serious matter and we have ordered investigation”.
He added that no such instruction was given from the police to mention the caste of the candidates on their chests.
Opposition Condemns Incident, Slams BJP Govt
Congress President Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter to condemn the incident, slamming the Bharatiya Janata Party-run government in the state for the incident.
BSP Chief Mayawati too condemned the incident, questioning the silence of the top leaders from the BJP, including the prime minister.
Does it suit the BJP and company, and the prime minister himself, to remain silent, (and) not to condemn such a casteist incident... This is the new and fresh example of BJP’s new found love for Dalits for their political gains.Mayawati
Mayawati demanded the officials responsible for the incident should be punished while the Centre needed to issue strict orders to check recurrence of such incidents anywhere in the country.
The Sharad Pawar-led NCP asked the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to probe the incident in Madhya Pradesh and described it as "shameful".
‘Very Serious Crime, Strictest Action Will be Taken’: MP Home Minister
Meawhile, Bhupendra Singh, Madhya Pradesh’s Home Minister, said that a probe had been ordered in the case, and strictest action will be taken against the guilty officers.
A probe was ordered as soon as we got to know about it. Strictest action will be taken. It’s a very serious crime, we never got such complaint about police recruitment process earlier.
According to Hindustan Times, none of the candidates have lodged a formal complaint against the caste markings on their body, but the pictures that were leaked to the local media has triggered a furore in the administration.
Director General of Police Rishi Kumar Shukla told HT that action has been initiated; however, he clarified that there were no bad intentions behind the move.
It was done as a precautionary measure to ensure that there was transparency in the laid down norms for physical measurements of these categories. I have given instructions to the district police to remove the marking, if any, and to ensure there is no recurrence.Rishi Kumar Shukla, DGP, to HT
The physical measurement is different for each category of candidate. Candidates of OBC and SC should be 168 cm tall, while an ST candidate should be 160 cm tall. Likewise, there is a difference in measurement of the chest size.
While MP Police has denied any instructions for the caste markings, civil surgeon Dr Sushil Kumar Khare, who was heading the medical board, shrugged responsibility off his shoulders, reported HT.
We conduct medical examination of the candidates who are sent by the police. The doctors on the board sit in a hall and each candidate is taken before a doctor as per a schedule, and he is accompanied by a constable. I pointed out when I saw ‘O’ written on the chest of a candidate. I was told by the police personnel that ‘O’ denoted ‘OBC’. I think it was done by the police to identify the candidates from different sections and avoid mixing up of the candidates.Dr Sushil Kumar Khare, civil surgeon heading the medical board, to HT
District officials, on the condition of anonymity, told HT that ‘SC’ stood for Scheduled caste, ‘ST’ denoted scheduled tribe, while ‘O’ stood for OBC. The marking, according to the official, was done to avoid mixing of candidates and giving them the benefit of relaxation.
(With inputs from ANI and Hindustan Times)
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