People's Democracy

         SFI-DYFI Dharna Demands End To Corruption

AT the instance of their central executive committees, the Students Federation of India (SFI) and Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) organised on July 7 a dharna in front of the ministry of human resources development. The dharna was meant to register protest against the rampant corruption in the attestation section of the ministry.

The two organizations alleged that touts and middlemen present at the attestation centre of the HRD ministry are extracting thousands of rupees as bribes from the people who come from all over the country. In collusion with some authorities, these touts are doling out favours to those who bribe them while thousands of innocent people are forced to slog in the lines for 10 to 12 hours.

Later the SFI and DYFI organised a dharna in front of the attestation centre and protested the rampant corruption prevalent there.

The DYFI national president K N Balagopal and SFI national president K K Ragesh addressed the dharna, demanding immediate deployment of police personnel to check this menace and also to ensure that touts and middlemen are barred from entering the campus. They also demanded that Ramaswamy, the concerned section officer incharge, should be suspended immediately on charges of corruption, as he is the man behind the touts and middlemen. It is learnt that some section incharges are acting hand in glove with those touts and do not even allow the police to come inside the campus.

The central government should take immediate notice of the fact that thousands of poor and middle class people come every day from across the country for attestation and spend thousands of rupees in the process. In order to help these people, more such centres should be opened throughout the country --- one in each state at least. Moreover, the number of counters in Delhi has to be increased to facilitate speedy attestation of the certificates.

The police arrested the protesting student and youth leaders and activists who were later released on personal bonds. (INN)