Members of the Karnataka Dalit Sangharsha Samiti (Ambedkar Vaada) urged the State government to get the Kambalpalli carnage reinvestigated to ensure justice to the family members of the seven persons who were burnt to death. The Samiti also wants the government to file an appeal before the Supreme Court to bring the guilty to book.
Addressing presspersons here on Saturday, Mavalli Shankar, chief convenor, said that all the accused got acquitted due to the failure of the prosecution and witnesses turning hostile. “In order to mete out justice to the families of the bereaved, the State government should order for reinvestigation of the case and punish the guilty”, he said.
Mr. Shankar said that he, along with other dalit leaders, met the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah who informed them that the government would go in for an appeal.
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“The appeal should not be for namesake. A high-level committee of legal experts should be constituted to rectify the lacunae noticed earlier and also help the prosecution to strengthen the case”, he said.
Expressing concern over the low rate of conviction in cases of atrocities, Mr. Shankar wanted the Union Government to bring in suitable amendments to the Protection of Civil Rights Act so as to strengthen it and ensure that the guilty would not go scot free. Cases of atrocities should be tried within a specified time frame by special courts besides establishing special cells to register and investigate cases of atrocities.
Regarding implementing the Justice A.J. Sadashiva Commission recommendations on providing internal reservation among the Scheduled Castes, Mr. Shankar said that there were some lacunae in the report which needs to be set right. “We are not against providing reservation to the needy. We only want that the lacunae in the report should be rectified”, he added.
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The Samiti has also put forth several other demands including filling up backlogs, giving pattas to cultivators of bagair hukum lands were among other things.