Candidates who are appearing for the post of police constables from SC, ST and OBC categories in Madhya Pradesh’s Dhar District were reportedly labelled with their caste on their chest during their medical examination procedures at a district hospital on April 29.
“It is a serious matter and we have ordered investigation,” Superintendent of Police Birendra Singh said.
He further said that no such instruction was given by the police to mention the caste of the candidates on their chests.
Opposition parties have attacked BJP ruled MP government for alleged caste marking.
On April 30 Congress President Rahul Gandhi while condemning this BJP government’s act in MP tweeted “BJP sarkar ke jativadi ravaiye ne desh ki chhati par chhura mara hai. MP ke yuvaon ke seene par SC/ST likhkar desh ke samvidhan par hamla kiya hai (BJP government’s casteist attitude has stabbed the country in its chest. Writing SC/ST on MP youths’ chest amounts to attack on the Constitution).”
BJP सरकार के जातिवादी रवैये ने देश की छाती पर छूरा मारा है। MP के युवाओं के सीने पर SC/ST लिखकर देश के संविधान पर हमला किया है।
ये BJP/RSS की सोच है। यही सोच कभी दलितों के गले में हांडी टंगवाती थी, शरीर में झाडू बंधवाती थी, मंदिर में घुसने नहीं देती थी। हम इस सोच को हराएँगे। pic.twitter.com/ycqt1nEp0E— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) April 30, 2018
His tweet further reads this is the mindset of BJP/RSS which saw pitchers hung on Dalits’ necks, brooms tied to their body and their entry denied to temples and we have to defeat this mindset.
Ashok Gehlot, general secretary of All India Congress Committee also attacked the state government in his tweet “The treatment meted out to dalits in BJP ruled #MadhyaPradesh is shocking and condemnable. It speaks for itself; what the mindset of BJP leaders is and how their policies are discriminating against dalits.”
BSP Supremo Mayawati said “Does it suit the BJP and company, and the prime minister himself, to remain silent, (and) not to condemn such an incident… This is the new and fresh example of BJP’s new found love for Dalits for their political gains.”
Seeing the criticism of opposition leaders, Dr Hitesh Bajpai, senior BJP leader and former media incharge, added “Nobody can support what happened in Dhar but what was done was not any casteist action. It was done for the sake of classification. An inquiry is being conducted and the guilty will be punished.”
So far, none of the constables involved in the incident have lodged any complaint.
