Coimbatore: The Tamil Nadu state minorities’ commission, which held a meeting at the office of the district collector, received petitions concerning various issues. Religious minority organizations, schools, colleges and other minority welfare organizations submitted their petitions to the commission and the officials of the district.
According to senior officials, who were part of the routine closed door meeting on Tuesday, there was one individual petition and a total of 12 major petitions received by the commission.
“The individual petition was from a school teacher from Ondipudur who was suspended by the school education department. The teacher, who belongs to a minority community, alleged that she was harassed by school authorities because she belonged to a minority community,” said a senior official. “She had approached the Madras high court against her suspension, and the court issued an asking the district elementary education officer to revoke the teacher’s suspension,” the official told Times of India.
As a result, the district elementary education officer P Gandhimathi has been instructed to revoke the teacher’s suspension and reinstate her.
As far as petition from religious minority organizations are concerned, there were two major petitions. “One was from a Sulur Christian organization which has asked for a community hall within the burial ground premises. Another representation was from a Buddhist organization which has sought financial support for them to visit their pilgrims in Bodh Gaya and Saranath,” said an official who was part of the meeting. The state government provides financial aid for Muslims and Christians to visit Mecca and Israel Palestine respectively.
Another petition submitted by the Social Awareness Movement, alleged that the construction work of a Church in Kalapatti has been stalled for around eight years without any reason. J D Socrates, who submitted the petition said, “The church is almost 100-years-old and in 2008, we began constructing an extension. And, when the construction was almost 70% completed, police asked us to stop construction, citing that it will lead to communal tension.” We have been submitting petitions every year to the minority commission, but no steps have been taken to resolve the issue, Socrates said.
The residents of Podanur and Marakkadai area who belong to minority community have alleged that there is lack of sanitary workers in their area. “The commission has directed the civic body to look into the matter,” said an official.