http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Oct272008/district2008102697474.asp
SC/ST GRIEVANCES MEET 'Neighbours threaten to build Daivasthana':Family seeks police protection DH News Service,Mangalore: We are living under acute fear and anxiety. We have no one to rely on and we do not have anyone to guide us as to what to do to come out of this fix, said Nanditha with wobbling voice and damp eyes at the SC/ST grievances meet held on Sunday. Nanditha is a resident of Pachinadka in Bantwal and about 15 years ago, her family was allotted with 3 cents of government land. After having stayed with her grand mother for several years, Nanditha along with her mother and brother shifted to 'their own house' built under Ashraya Scheme at Pachinadka about 3 years ago in anticipation of secured life. Ever since they shifted to their own land, the neighbours who belong to other community have been ridiculing, insulting and rebuking the family of Nanditha, belonging to Samagara Community (SC). Though it was restricted to verbal taunts initially, gradually things started becoming worse for the family. Neighbours, backed and instigated by a local influential person, who also owns a beedi factory and some buses, started coming to Nanditha's house to threaten them to vacate the land as the land, according to 'influential person,' is meant to build a Kallurti Daivasthana. The neighbours have been resorting to activities like throwing sand, stone at Nanditha's house and even dumping dead animals at their doorstep, making life difficult for them, she complained. "Though I have studied nursing, I could never take up any job because of this fear that they would attack my house. My mother is a sweeper in a hospital in Mangalore but this mental anguish does not let her work," she says and adds that when she complained about the same to the Tahshildar Manjunath in July, he refused to help. She said that the miscreant have now cut off the water pipeline from her house with the sole aim that the family must vacate the land for them to build their 'Daivasthana'. Superintendent of Police Sathish Kumar assured to look into the matter and take action while SP (Civil Rights Enforcement Cell) Manjunath Annigeri asked her to file a complaint immediately. Earlier the SP said that SC/ST grievances meet should be held in every police station on every third Sunday strictly barring law and order emergencies. When the SP questioned the meeting if the meetings are held in the station limits, most of the Dalit representatives answered in negative and many said that they do not know if it is held or not as they are not informed about the meeting. The SP said that grievance meets are for public and it needs no invitations for people to participate. Additional SP R Dileep, DySP Dharmaiah and others were present.
