Accusing the State Government of discrimination, two Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officers of Madhya Pradesh burst into tears in public. Both the officers were staging sit-in here on Monday. This is probably for the first time in the history of the State that higher officers were forced to stage dharna.
Senior IAS officer of MP cadre and Secretary of the Commission for Protection of Child Rights Ramesh Thete and suspended IAS officer Shashi Karnavat, alleged that the State Government is torturing them because they come from Dalit community. Both the senior babus staged dharna under the banner of Dalit Adivasi Forum. The convener of the forum, Mohanlal Patil, organised the dharna.
When Thete was addressing the gathering, he became sentimental saying that he would stage fast-unto-death if any further action is taken against him. "If I die in the fast," he told Mohanlal Patil, "Keep my body for some time in front of the CM House and later for a few minutes in front of the Mantralaya, from where nobody came out for my help." With this, he started crying, and Shashi Karnavar, who was sitting beside him, also came into tears.
The agitating babus warned the State Government that its discriminatory policy would not last long. The psyche of the State Government is anti-Dalit that is evident from the injustice meted out to them.
Thete leveled many serious allegations against the State Government and said that he had been trying to meet Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for the last two years but his (Chief Minister's) "managers" did not arrange a meeting. "I am not doing politics and have been forced to go on dharna," he added.
Thete also lashed at lokayukta Justice Naolekar and alleged that the State Government is acting on his direction.
Karnawat described the conflict between her and the State Government with the help of poetry: "I am struggling for the last 15 years. I was sent to jail producing fake documents and now my appeal is pending before the High Court. I would not bend before the Government as I have not done any wrong," she added.
The Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee chief spokesman, KK Mishra, and spokesperson Dipti Singh also reached the dharna site and extended their support to the agitating IAS officers, giving a political colour to the dharna.