Case of serving food on a plate with Ambedkar’ (Ambedkar’)s picture

New Delhi. The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) on Tuesday said the Andhra Pradesh Police has invoked provisions of the SC-ST Act against a hotel which served food on paper plates bearing BR Ambedkar’s             (Ambedkar’) picture.

The NCSC had received a complaint via Twitter on July 8 last year, alleging that food was served on paper plates with Ambedkar’s picture at a hotel in Konaseema district. When this was opposed by members of the Scheduled Caste (SC) community, the hotel owner lodged an FIR against 18 people.

The police arrested 18 people belonging to the Scheduled Castes. The police investigated under sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and arrested the hotel owner and the paper plate seller after finding the allegations to be true.

NCSC chairman Vijay Sampla said that during a hearing, the police informed the commission that the SC-ST Act and section 295A of the Indian Penal Code have been added to the case as per the instructions of the commission. Sampla said that during the hearing the FIR against 18 Scheduled Caste people was also cancelled.