Jottings of the week: VK Singh’s dog remark bites him and more

The NCSC has issued summons to Haryana’s Director General of Police (DGP) and Ghaziabad’s Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), asking them to appear on November 2.

Singh was at the centre of a controversy over his comments that the Centre can not be blamed if somebody throws a stone at a dog to shield it from criticism for the Faridabad Dalit burning incident in which two children were killed.

NCSC Chairman and Congress leader PL Punia said that in the wake of the Minister’s remarks, notices have been issued seeking details of action report from Uttar Pradesh police.

The commission asked what action was being taken under the relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Act. The BJP alleged that the NCSC is playing politics and behaving like a Congress spokesperson.

When asked whether a notice has been issued to Singh as well, Punia clarified that notice can not be issued by it to a minister, but to law enforcement agencies for failing in the performance of their duty.

“Punia must explain whether he wants to act like a Congress spokesperson or somebody in a constitutional post”. Echoing his views, the NCSC Chairman said it was absolutely insensitive to see the visit to the Dalit family as a photo op. “The Commission has become non-functional under his chairmanship and it has not been able to provide justice to the people of the community”, Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Bizay Sonkar Shastri said at a press conference here. Singh’s comments – which he later apologized for and withdrew – kicked up a political firestorm with opposition and even BJP’s allies in the Bihar election criticizing the former Army chief.