HDK: Dalit boy harassed in CM's home constituency

Bengaluru: Continuing to pick on CM Siddaramaiah, JD(S) chief H D Kumaraswamy claimed on Saturday that the administration had collapsed in his home district.

Participating in the debate on the motion of thanks to the Governor's address, Mr Kumaraswamy referred to the case of a Dalit youth being arrested for no reason in Varuna constituency, represented by Mr Siddaramaiah.

The Dalit boy had only associated with the opposition parties and worked against the Congress during the elections, according to him. But in April 2015, about 20 policemen descended on his house to arrest him. Sensing trouble, the boy escaped and later when he approached the courts, the government advocates said there was no case against him, he recalled.

However, the Mysuru police used the Delhi police to threaten the boy's brother, who was training in Delhi for the IAS examinations.  The boy later produced photos of the police near his house and got conditional bail. But after a fortnight, the police came to his house once again and took him away, saying he was wanted by the SP.

He was sent to jail for two days after the police booked another case against him, Mr Kumaraswamy said. “We talk about harassment to Dalits elsewhere in other states, but what is happening in our own state? The boy fielded his mother during the Zilla Panchayat election and ensured her victory by a margin of 3000 votes,” he added.

Mr Kumaraswamy also wanted to know what happened to the case of the police allegedly robbing three businessmen of Mysuru district of over Rs 2.5 crore. Objecting to Congress members raking up his personal issues to counter his charges against the Chief Minister, he said.

“My personal life is an open book. I have a wife, who should be asked about  it. Not everyone is wandering on the street.”