National Confederation of Dalit Organisations on Monday welcomed the decision of Koraput Congress MlA Krushna Chandra Sagaria’s embracing Buddhism along with his family in May and stiffly opposed the false allegation made by “communal activist” Gangadhar Nanda against Sagaria.
Organisation State president Ashok Kumar Mallick at a Press meet said Nanda in a complaint in the Jeypore Town police station had mentioned that Sagaria and other Buddha religion followers have insulted the Hindu religion’s gods and goddesses.
Mallick alleged that police officers, being handled by the political parties and communal forces, have registered the case.
He said Sagaria has been working for the development of the Dalits since he was a youth and had been a prisoner for demonstrating and demanding for education rights for the Dalit and Adivasi students.
He also said that Nanda has been using the word ‘Horizon’ in his complaint, which is against the Constitution and mentioned that Sagaria had filed an affidavit before the Koraput Executive Magistrate before embracing Buddhism.
He said that making false allegation against a Dalit and using the word ‘Horizon’ is against the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, for which he would file an FIR against Nanda.
The organisation has also decided to hold a function in August last week in Bhubaneswar in which about 5,000 Dalits and Adivasis would embrace Buddhism and felicitate Sagaria on the occasion.
Among others, Hemant Sethi, Gandhi Behera, Sanatan Das, laxmipriya Das, Bindulata Mallick and Rajesh Behera were present.