The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) has issued summons to the Chief Secretary, the Director General of Police, the Collector of Ariyalur and the Superintendent of Police, Ariyalur, to appear before the panel on December 12 for inquiry in connection with the death of S. Anitha, a Dalit medical aspirant who committed suicide after failing to clear the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET).
The inquiry would be conducted in New Delhi,and would be the first one [to be carried out] by the commission, its vice-chairman L. Murugan told reporters here on Friday. The commission had received an interim report pertaining to the case from the Ariyalur district police, which did not contain all the necessary details, he said, adding, “Since the initial report was not satisfactory, the Commission has summoned the four top officials for inquiry into the case.”
Puthiya Tamilagam president K. Krishnasamy had also submitted a petition, appealing to the commission to issue summons to all concerned, based on which the summons were issued, Mr. Murugan said.
Responding to a query, he said that since the probability of “external pressure” having had a role in Anitha’s death was high, the commission’s inquiry would focus on that angle.
Stating that the conviction rate for cases relating to atrocities committed against those belonging to the Scheduled Castes was very low, he noted that in Tamil Nadu, it was around 3 to 4%. Officials have been asked to provide due protection to witnesses and sensitise them on how to face cross-examination in such cases, he said.
Mr. Murugan said he had convened similar meetings earlier in 11 districts.
