BSP supporters thrash job demanding Dalit officers

Supporters of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Tuesday thrashed Dalit officers who showed up at a meeting of BSP leaders in Lucknow to demand appointments for posts cleared through the Civil Services Commission.

The 78 Dalit officers had been selected for the post of Assistant Review Officers, but were yet to be appointed.

They had come to hand over a memorandum to BSP leader Mayawati.

"We did not come here to protest, we came here to give a memorandum and were not being allowed to enter inside. Behanji(Mayawati) is ours, we are Dalits, if she does not listen to the Dalits, who else will she listen to? We were only going to give the memorandum. What can be the reason for this? The only reason is that she merely pretends to be a Dalit, but Dalits receive no support from the government," said Rajendra Kumar, a Dalit officer.

"78 officers selected by the Civil Services Commission for the post of Assistant Review Officer have been running from pillar to post for appointment. We went to meet BSP leader Ram Achal Rajbhar (BSP Uttar Pradesh unit Chief), but he said we can't help you, you get out of here. I cannot identify them, they are all BSP leaders," said a Dalit officer, Umesh Sharma, who is waiting for an appointment letter.

These officers complained that they had worked very hard for the post and accused Mayawati, who is a Dalit herself, of playing votebank politics.