JD(S) protests against minister, demands sacking over ‘Dalit atrocity’

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: JD(S) staged a protest against minister for Planning and Statistics D Sudhakar, demanding his dismissal from the cabinet.

The demonstration took place at Freedom Park and was led by JD(S) MLC HM Ramesh Gowda, who demanded that Sudhakar either quit from his position or Chief Minister Siddaramaiah sack him.

The minister allegedly assaulted and directed casteist abuse against a Dalit woman and her daughter in Yelahanka. Sudhakar was claimed to have been at the spot with an earthmoving automobile to clear makeshift houses of Dalit families which were constructed on disputed sites.

Cases have been registered against the accused under the atrocities act and other Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections.

“After an FIR (First Information Report) has been registered against the minister, he should resign. If the minister has any respect for the law, he should resign immediately,” Gowda said, calling Sudhakar’s actions “inhumane”.

Ramesh Gowda warned that if Sudhakar isn’t dismissed, they would approach the Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot demanding his sacking.

Gowda added that the Home Minister G Parameshwara, himself a Dalit, couldn’t protect the marginalized group and should therefore also quit. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) also echoed the same demands.

“The hooliganism of Minister D Sudhakar is unforgivable. He should be dismissed from the cabinet immediately,” AAP Karnataka president Mukhyamantri Chandru said.