Karnataka’s shame: Three newly-recruited village development officers (VDOs) in the age group of 23 to 25 years, including a woman officer, have reportedly ended their lives in a span of six months in North Karnataka due to alleged harassment by Gram Panchayat members. The VDOs are the custodians of the implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act in their gram panchayats and are the chief executives of the GP. They are joint signatories to the funds released under NREGA.

“Most of the Gram Panchayat members are contractors and are thus banned under the NREGA. The government is pumping in a lot of money in NREGA and they don’t have access to the funds. The VDOs have been recruited to implement NREGA in their villages,” said a top government officer. The accused behind abetting the suicide of the three VDOs include some key members of the local GPs, who have been arrested on charges of abetment of suicide, criminal intimidation under IPC Sections 306 and 506 and SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. Besides the three suicides, police have registered two case of assault on two VDOs in North Karnataka.

According to the government sources, of the first batch of 2,500 VDOs who were recruited by the Karnataka State Public Service Commission in 2009-10, 277 (more than 10 % of the number of officers recruited) have already left their jobs for obvious reasons. Given the seriousness of the crimes, the government has directed the CID Department to investigate the three cases of suicide and submit a report.

Kumari Mandakini (23), VDO, Raghavendranagar, Gulbarga, reportedly committed suicide on October 16 last year. The police arrested bill collector Vasudev, former president, Sannur GP, Basavaraj, and Jagadisha, and chargesheeted them on January 11. On November 9 last year, Vijaykumar Suryavamshi (25), VDO, Byalahalli, Bidar New Town, allegedly committed suicide. A criminal case was registered against Shivaji – the Byalahalli GP president’s husband, members Bheemanna and Srikanth, and secretary Shivashetty by Bidar police. The accused were chargesheeted on January 6.

On April 3 this year, Arun Kumar Galgali, VDO, Agarkheda, Indi taluk, Bijapur district, committed suicide in Mysore after being suspended on charges of embezzlement. “Mr Galgali committed suicide even as the inquiry was on,” said an official source. The Nazarabad police station, Mysore, registered a criminal case against unknown people and investigation is on.

Mr Galgali left behind a three-page suicide note, in flawless English, where he has stated that he was falsely implicated in a case of embezzlement after his signature on the cheque was forged. The note, which is the key evidence in Mr Galgali’s suicide, reportedly gives a disturbing insight into the alleged mental and physical harassment meted out to VDOs by GP members. The deceased has mentioned about seven to eight alleged GP members (“criminals”), whose names he has withheld and who had reportedly threatened him and forged his signature on the cheque. “If Mr Galgali had embezzled the money, we would like to know what happened to the money. It was not obviously with him,” said an officer.