Erode Additional Collector Manish Narnaware has written to Chief Secretary V. Irai Anbu, alleging caste discrimination by a senior official to whom he had reported when he was working in the Chennai Corporation.
The letter, dated June 2, was posted on Twitter early on Thursday morning, and has since been deleted. It contained allegations against former Corporation Commissioner and current Health Secretary Gagandeep Singh Bedi. Mr. Bedi has refuted the allegations.
Speaking to The Hindu, Dr. Narnaware claimed that he had emailed the letter to the Chief Secretary at 11 a.m. on Thursday, and had also sent it through courier. Asked why he had deleted the tweet, Dr. Narnaware said he was not willing to comment any further. He has been serving in his current position since March.
Dr. Narnaware served as the Deputy Commissioner for Health in the civic body during the COVID-19 pandemic from June 2021 to 2022. He alleged that the then Commissioner harassed him as he was from the SC community. The letter lists instances where the Commissioner allegedly targeted Dr. Narnaware personally, resulting in him falling into depression. He urged the Chief Secretary to take action against Mr. Bedi under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Meanwhile, a certificate of appreciation issued by Mr. Bedi in August 2021 for the efforts of Dr. Narnaware in organising a vaccination drive in which 1.25 lakh people were inoculated, went viral on social media.
