Daijiworld Media Network - Puttur (SP)
Puttur, Nov 5: A group of people who filed an application under Right to Information Act in Badagannur gram panchayat in the office got angry after they were told to submit the application along with postal order. The group then used derogatory language against the panchayat development officer (PDO) of the panchayat and office staff, besides vandalizing the office and damaging property.
This incident occurred on Friday November 4. After the incident, the PDO, Sharada, filed a complaint against Shaffi, Sadiq, Abdul Samad, Muhammed, Iqbal and Tughlaq in rural police station here. All of them are from Hosangar, Badagannur village.
It is said that P Muhammed Iqbal arrived at the gram panchayat office on Friday morning and sought information relating to distribution of houses under housing scheme of the government under Right to Information Act immediately. The PDO asked him to hand over postal order along with the application, and told him that it would take some time for furnishing the information sought. Angered at this, Iqbal and his associates scolded the panchayat office staff including PDO, obstructed them from discharging duties, and destroyed some properties in the office, the PDO said in his complaint.
It is said that this is the fallout of a dispute over damaging of 'Hasiru Katte' that was built without any authorization and on the flagstaff of which a green flag was hoisted a few days back. In this connection, gram panchayat president, Keshav Gowda and two others have been arrested and case has been filed against 20 people. Reportedly, the gang was angry at the fact that the gram panchayat had passed a resolution for the removal of the said unauthorized platform.
It is learnt that even after the said complaint was filed and the PDO orally complained to the assistant superintendent of police, no case was registered by the staff of the rural police station till Friday night. There is widespread anger at this attitude of the police, who had acted promptly over the 'Hasiru Katte' dispute earlier, registered case against about 20 people, entered several houses at night, and arrested some.