Bengaluru: In a shocking incident that has sparked widespread outrage in the art and cultural community, the Director of the Department of Kannada and Culture, K.M. Gayathri, has been booked under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act for allegedly abusing a Dalit artist at her office.
The SJ Park police registered an FIR on Monday following a complaint by 55-year-old Jogila Siddaraju, a well-known artist. Siddaraju had visited the director’s office on July 11 to demand pending remuneration that he and other artists had been awaiting for the past three years. According to his complaint, instead of addressing his grievances, Gayathri allegedly abused him after learning that he belonged to a Scheduled Caste.
Siddaraju further claimed that when he warned her of escalating the issue to higher authorities, Gayathri allegedly became violent. She reportedly threw a computer mouse pad at him and snatched the mobile phone of an associate who attempted to record the incident. The phone was allegedly seized to prevent any evidence of her misconduct from being documented.
Deeply hurt and angered by the incident, Siddaraju has submitted a formal plea to the Chief Minister’s office, demanding immediate disciplinary action against the director.
The police have charged Gayathri under relevant sections of the SC/ST Act as well as for voluntarily causing hurt and intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The incident has triggered a strong response from artists and Dalit rights activists, who have condemned the alleged caste-based discrimination and demanded a thorough investigation. Many have called for Gayathri’s suspension pending inquiry to ensure a fair and impartial probe.
