Arunav Sinha, TNN | Jul 15, 2013, 04.19 AM IST

 

 

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200 px (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

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LUCKNOW: A former dalit staffer, who was allegedly forced to quit from the Unique Identification Authority of India has expressed threat to his life. The developments come almost two months after the National Commission for Scheduled Castes sought an answer from the Lucknow regional office of the UIDAI on complaints of ‘casteism’ being practised within its precincts.

 

 

In the letter (dated July 8, 2013) addressed to the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC)-a copy of which is with TOI-former quality control operator Vijay Kumar has expressed threat to his life from Abhishek Mishra, an assistant at the Lucknow regional office of the UIDAI. “Some days back, I had a meeting with one of my former colleagues at UIDAI, who conveyed to me that Abhishek Mishra is gunning for my life. A signed affidavit of the former UIDAI staffer in this regard bears testimony to the fact that my life is in danger from Abhishek Mishra,” said Kumar, urging the NCSC to initiate stringent actions against Mishra.

 

 

Tarun Khanna, assistant director of NCSC, when contacted by TOI, acknowledged that the NCSC has received a letter from Vijay Kumar, and said, “The commission on its part will take necessary action in this regard.”

 

 

Prior to this, in a written reply furnished to the commission in June, Kumar had doubted the neutral credentials of the probe and said, “The probe by assistant director general CS Mishra is not free and fair, as he is facing charges too. Both CS Mishra and Abhishek Mishra are extorting statements in their favour from various contractual employees at UIDAI office.” He has urged the UID headquarters to constitute a high-powered committee, which would carry out a balanced and neutral probe in this regard.

 

 

In his written reply to NCSC, Kumar also pointed that CS Mishra had doubted the credibility of TOI, and termed the news published on May 12 baseless. “By doubting the news report published in TOI, CS Mishra has in fact questioned the genuineness of NCSC,” alleged Vijay Kumar. In the probe report submitted to the NCSC on May 21, CS Mishra had stated, “He (Vijay) along with other deputees, whose services have been discontinued, are also trying intentionally to pressurise and defame this reputed organisation through publication of false and baseless allegations through media.”

 

 

Rubbishing the charges levelled by CS Mishra, the assistant director of NCSC told TOI, “The allegation that the news item is baseless is devoid of any solid foundation and valid reason.” Kumar also claimed that the outsourced staff was subjected to step-motherly treatment. “In the UIDAI’s answer (dated May 21) to NCSC, CS Mishra had said that there is no employee-employer relationship between UIDAI and the outsourced staff. So, there were no grounds for office memoranda to be issued to us. It is doubtful whether instructions pertaining to us were routed through the agency handling the outsourced work,” Vijay said and alleged arbitrary and step-motherly treatment was rampant at the UIDAI’s regional office.

 

 

 

 

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