Chairman of State Minorities Commission (SMC) that serves Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Abid Rasool Khan, today alleged that attempts are being made to weaken the panel.
Without naming any officials, Khan said the panel, which was functioning from the Raghava Sadan here, was shifted by the authorities last week.
He requested Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao to order a high-level inquiry into the matter.
"State Minorities Commission is a statutory body. I am struggling to build it up since 2013 after my appointment. In the last three years our office was shifted three times - from Secretariat to Raghava Sadan and now the authorities themselves got shifted the office to an apartment," Khan told reporters here.
The Commission, he said, has been doing good work for the benefit of minorities and addressed thousands of grievances and took up enquiries to enable justice to people.
At this stage, it was the responsibility of both the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana governments to build it up strongly, he said.
Alleging that efforts are being made to weaken the commission, Khan said, "We have only three people staff when it should be 20 as sanctioned. It has been an attempt by the authorities to see that the Minorities Commission does not get strength."
"A clear attempt is being made to see that the Commission does not function or if it functions also, it functions in such a way that it is not accessible to people," he alleged.
Khan said, "We have done a thorough inquiry into the
Wakf affairs and found out in about 60 cases that huge properties have been encroached and brought it to the notice of the government."
"We have also recommended to the Centre for a CBI inquiry in Wakf affairs and Central government has said it is ready to conduct inquiry if the state government gives an NOC. The CM has endorsed the file but officials are holding it back," he said
"...Because the Commission is questioning the officers and the authorities, it (shifting of Commission office) has been planned in such a way that it should be done without the (CM's) knowledge and without their consent. Somebody somewhere is playing a mischief. Through media I am requesting Telangana Chief Minister to order a high-level inquiry and punish such officials," he said.
Khan said he has already filed a petition in Hyderabad High Court to issue guidelines on how the Commission should work and it should be allowed to function till it is bifurcated. The matter is posted to January 25, he said.
He further demanded that the panel should be strengthened and government should give it equal stature as any other Commission or any other statutory body, by providing proper office, staff and budget.
The State Minorities Commission serves both the states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and is a Schedule X entity which is yet to be bifurcated.
