Kendrapara: Kendrapara district administration Saturday ordered a probe into the death of a 26-year-old Dalit youth, who allegedly died by suic*de inside the collectorate.
The family of Srichandan Mallick, who was a resident of Raitundi village in Nikirai police station area in Kendrapara district, alleged that he hanged himself from an iron railing inside the collectorate Friday after being unable to obtain official permission to sell his land.
He was a Scheduled Caste person and therefore needed permission from the administration to sell his landed property to any non-SC person. Though he had been trying it for the last six months, the permission was not granted, leading to frustration and ultimately suic*de, his family members alleged.
Kendrapara district Collector Raghuram R Iyer said the district administration had initiated an inquiry into the incident.
“We have launched an investigation into the tragic death. Anyone found guilty of wrongdoing or harassment will face appropriate action,” he said.
As public anger mounted over the incident, a delegation of the opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD), led by district president Shiba Prasad Bal, met Iyer Saturday and demanded stringent action against “officials whose alleged negligence and harassment drove the youth to take the extreme step”.
Party workers also staged a demonstration outside the collectorate.
BJD’s Kendrapara MLA Ganeswar Behera called for a thorough and impartial probe into the incident, alleging that the grievance redressal mechanism at both the district and state levels had virtually collapsed.
Behera demanded Rs 10 lakh compensation for the next of kin of the deceased youth’s family.
“Public grievance hearings have been reduced to a ritual. Hundreds of petitions and applications are gathering dust in government offices. The victim was trapped in a labyrinth of bureaucratic red tape and subjected to prolonged harassment. Frustrated by the insensitive attitude of officials, he was forced to end his life,” Behera alleged.
Demanding adequate compensation for the bereaved family, he said the government must fix accountability and ensure that such incidents do not recur.
Echoing similar sentiments, BJP leader and former Zilla Parishad president Gita Sethi demanded strict action against any official found responsible for the youth’s death.
The district lawyers’ association also joined the chorus for accountability. Association president Rabi Narayan Mohanty alleged that Kendrapara Sub-Collector Arun Kumar Nayak had harassed the deceased and held him responsible for the unfortunate incident.
A delegation of lawyers met the collector and sought disciplinary action against the sub-collector for allegedly delaying permission for the land transaction.
Under Section 22 of the Orissa Land Reforms (OLR) Act, 1960, a Scheduled Caste landholder cannot transfer or sell land to a person belonging to another caste or the general category without obtaining approval from a revenue officer.
PTI
