The former chairman of the Karnataka State Minorities Commission (KSMC) and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Anwar Manippadi has decided to file a ‘criminal defamation suit’ against Minister of State for Women and Child Development Umashree for endorsing allegations that an inmate of a destitute home of a non-governmental organisation was sent to his Mangalore house as domestic help, and had gone missing.
Ms. Umashree had stated that 16 inmates of a women’s home for minorities, being run by the Wakf Board in Bangalore, had been sent for skill training to a destitutes’ home run by an NGO, which was supported by the Karnataka State Wakf Foundation for Women’s Development. Of them, only 14 returned to the women’s home. Ms. Reshma, one inmate, died under suspicious circumstance after she went to the NGO, she said. Another inmate at the destitutes’ home, Ms. Salma, had gone missing and was alleged that she had been sent to the residence of Mr. Manippadi to work as a domestic help. Ms. Umashree had said the Criminal Investigation Department had been told to conduct a probe and submit a report within a week.
Mr. Manippadi took serious exception to such allegations on Friday, saying there was a witch-hunt against him for submitting a report — in his capacity as KSMC chairman — that castigated several senior Congress leaders for their alleged role in encroaching Wakf properties in the State. “As the contents of such a report are now set to come up before the State legislature, Congress leaders are jittery and are trying to target me,” he said, and declared that he was ready to face any probe.
He said he had once raided the women’s home in Bangalore, when he was KSMC chief, and had suspended 11 officials for poor maintenance of the home. However, the suspension had been revoked by the Wakf Board after it was reconstituted. He alleged that later, a rave party was held at the home and a member of the board had even sent invites terming it a “fun and frolic party”.
Mr. Manippadi reiterated that Wakf properties worth around Rs. 2,30,000 crore had been encroached upon by various persons in the State and demanded that action should be taken to recover the properties.
