Chennai: “Tough steps are being taken, including filing of cases under the provisions of SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Act 2015, in cases where the deceased belonged to the SC community,” said L Murugan, Vice Chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) on Monday.
Noting that last year there more than 20 people belonging to SC and other castes died in the national capital, the NCSC said filing of cases against employers under the SC/ST Atrocities Act and other steps are being taken.
Speaking to reporters, he said two manual scavengers had died in Coimbatore last month and he had ordered the police officials to invoke the SC/ST Atrocities Act in these cases and the offences under the Act are non-bailable and it facilitates compensation for victims.
He further stated that in the SC/ST Act 2015, new offences of atrocities includes ‘permitting manual scavenging.’