Amid misgivings by the dominant Veerashaiva-Lingayats and Vokkaliga communities over the Socio-Economic and Educational Survey (caste census) by the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes, another controversy has erupted over the missing documents from the erstwhile H. Kantharaj Commission that conducted the survey. However, the data collected for the census, for which signatures of Mr. Kantharaj, commission members, and member-secretary were affixed, is intact, commission sources said.
It now emerges that the original report of the Kantharaj commission has been missing following which the commission communicated with the then commission’s member-secretary N.V. Prasad, seeking his response. Commission sources said that despite reminders, it has not received any response. While the printed copies of the Kantharaj commission report had scanned signatures of Mr. Kantharaj and other members, the signature of the member-secretary is missing, the commission’s official communication, copies of which are with The Hindu, show.
Following the 214th special meeting of the commission in August 2021 during which it was decided to open four sealed trunks containing the Kantharaj commission’s findings, the current commission is learnt to have found printed books containing the data, the main report and two compact discs. The commission, it is learnt, had decided to seek additional information from the then member-secretary since his name figured in the report. In the absence of a reply, the commission in August 2022 wanted to know from Mr. Prasad if he had dissented with the report findings as he had not affixed the signature. Commission sources said they did not receive response for both communications.
Data intact
Meanwhile, commission sources said the data in the printed copy and the soft copy that has signatures of the then commission chairperson and members besides the member-secretary is intact. “What is missing is only the original copy of the commission report. When we sought to know details from the then member-secretary, we did not get any response.” Commission sources said that since data is available, providing report will not be affected.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday told reporters that he was not aware of the missing report in the commission.
Govt. wants new report
The Congress government, in a communication to the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes, is learnt have sought a new report based on the data collected as part of the Socio-Economic and Educational Survey (caste census) in 2015 by the then H. Kantharaj commission. “This (Congress) government has asked for a new report. Though the old report (Kantharaj commission report) is not needed now, it would have helped the current commission to hasten the process. If the old (original) report was available, it would have helped us with indicators and weightage that the previous commission had given to each caste.” Since the original data is intact, are in the process of readying the report, sources said.
