Panchayat secretary declares two widows, Dalit man living in MP village dead

Two widows, along with a Dalit man, were denied benefits of the widow pension and Dalit welfare schemes, respectively as a panchayat secretary in the Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh issued death certificates in their names.

Following separate complaints lodged by the trio, and the finding of a preliminary inquiry, Amar Singh, the panchayat secretary of the Chandrapura village panchayat, was suspended by District Panchayat Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Namah Shivay Arjaria on Saturday.

Advertisement

The action followed complaints filed on April 17 by Ramabai Raikwar, Girja Vishwakarma and Kallu Ahirwar, who alleged they were wrongly declared dead in official records and their death certificates had been duly made.

In their complaints, Ramabai and Girja stated that their widow pension had been stopped after the duo was declared dead.

Ahirwar stated that he was unable to reap the benefits of government schemes meant for Dalits as he has been declared dead.

According to officials, prima facie it was found that the panchayat secretary’s act constitutes serious misconduct under the Madhya Pradesh Panchayat Service (Conduct) Rules, 1996.

Officials said the suspension was carried out under the Madhya Pradesh Panchayat Service (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1999.

During the suspension period, Amar Singh will be attached to the Janpad Panchayat Gaurihar office and will receive subsistence allowance.