Mangaluru : D.K District Dalit Associations Coordination Committee staged protests before Dakshina Kannada District Deputy Commissioner’s (DC) office in Mangaluru city on Monday demanding the district administration allocate the Depressed Class manna land, Land for landless Dalits and the state government to transfer DC for insulting Dalits and walking out from the Dalit meeting.

Adressing the protesters Mavalli Shankar, DSS State convener of Ambedkarism said, the DC has been following dual stand to distribute land for the dalits in the district even if there is a procedure of the state government on the issue. Mr. Jagadeesha took charge as the Deputy Commissioner, no Depressed Class manna land has been allotted to Dalits. He should seek voluntary transfer or else the co-ordination committee would continue agitations till the government transferred him, he said.

Deputy Commissioner walking away abruptly ending the meeting called to address grievances was an insult to Dalits. In the meeting, Dalit representatives were only demanding that the district administration allocate the Depressed Class manna land, reserved for people of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, to Dalits and vacate encroachments on such reserved land. But the Deputy Commissioner said that he would have to get the guidelines from the government, he said.

The protesters described DC Dr KG Jagadeesha as anti dalit and reluctant to hear the plight of the members of dalit communities in Dakshina Kannada.

A protest march was held from Jyothi circle to DC office by the dalits including women.

Dalit leader M Devarj Mohan , Mohan raj, Devanand Sanadi and others were present.