Udupi : The government employees in Udupi district, including the Udupi Deputy Commissiner, under the banner Karnataka State Government Employees’ Association, staged a protest in front of the deputy commissioner’s office.

The protest was to condemning the attack on Deputy Commissioner Priyanka Mary Francis and Assistant Commissioner Shilpa Nag by sand mining mafia on post Sunday midnight.

The employees from all over from Karkala, Kundapur and Udupi government offices took a day’s casual leave and took part in the protest. Around 2,000 employees from 32 various department participated in the protest. The tahsildars of all the three taluks, special tahsildars and urban local bodies including Udupi CMC also extended the support and took part in the agitation.

Subramanya Sherigar, district president of Karnataka State Government Employees’ Association, Udupi, said the incident has made the civilised society to bow its head with shame. When a high-ranking officer like the deputy commissioner is attacked, then what would be the fate of the lower-cadre employees in the government set-up, he questioned. The concern on the district made the top officers to venture into the risky task.

The incident would discourage the sincere officers to take risk in the well being of the district. Demanding immediate arrest of the culprits involved, Sherigar said the Police department should not succumb to any pressure. There is a need for sand policy, which will solve the illegal sand mining activities, he said.

He threatened that if at all the accused are not arrested immediately, the association will again take up massive protest rally in the days to come.

Retired zilla panchayat CEO Prabhakar Sharma said the unanimous fight against the injustice will send across the message of solidarity. Apologising to the deputy commissioner for her bitter experience in the district, the retired official said united fight against the corruption is the need of the hour.