SC, ST Youths run nude on Vidhan Sabha Road seeking action into fake caste certificate cases

Raipur Around 20 youths belonging to Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Caste in Chhattisgarh performed streaking on the Vidhan Sabha Road on the first day of the monsoon session on Tuesday, said to be first of its kind protest in India. They demanded action from the government against those who obtained fake caste certificates to secure government jobs. The protesters marched to gherao the Vidhan Sabha while being completely nude, and the police later arrested them. The protest coincided with the arrival of Minister Rudraguru Anila Bhendia’s convoy for the Legislative Assembly session. Former Chief Minister Dr Raman Singh criticized the failure of the Congress government in handling this issue. Currently, Chhattisgarh has been facing a heated debate regarding fake caste certificates being used for government jobs, with several complaints received by various government departments. Witnessing the ‘nude’ protest by the youths, residents of Raipur were surprised, and the police arrested all protesters, putting them into vehicles. The government had set up a high-level committee to investigate fake caste certificate cases, and the committee found 267 cases of fake certificates across various government departments. Most cases were found in the Sports and Youth Welfare Department (44), followed by the Bhilai Steel Plant (18), General Administration Department, and Agriculture Department (14 each). The youth had been staging protests for some days, demanding action against corrupt officials. Despite repeated protests, hunger strikes, and demonstrations, the state government has not taken any action against the officials involved in the fake caste certificate issue. The protesters expressed their frustration with the government’s indifferent attitude towards their legitimate demands. Former Chief Minister Dr Raman Singh called the incident shameful and criticized the current Congress government’s inaction over the matter. He questioned why the government had not taken appropriate action despite being in power for nearly five years. The current scene is distressing and is evidence of the government’s significant failures.