Guwahati: Angry residents swarmed the Sonaibera Batamari Gram Panchayat office in Assam on June 30. They accused Gram Rozgar Sahayak Abdul Mannan of systematic graft. The protesters claim Mannan demanded kickbacks from residents waiting on wages tied to Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana home builds and Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act payouts.
Demonstrators spent the day chanting slogans and demanding Mannan lose his job. They want him transferred out of the Dhing Development Block immediately. The group insists poor families have been forced to cough up cash just to access the benefits they are legally owed. One protester stated, "Poor beneficiaries were being forced to pay money to access benefits meant for them under government welfare schemes."
Mannan has stayed quiet since the protest started. He has not publicly addressed the claims. Officials in the district administration and the Rural Development Department remain silent as well. No formal investigation has been confirmed.
Comments