Overview

• Chikoosa Nayaka, a waterman at Honganuru Gram Panchayat in Chamarajanagar, died by suicide outside the office after alleging roughly 27 months of unpaid honorarium and persistent harassment in a note.
• Police registered an FIR citing the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against the Panchayat Development Officer, the gram panchayat president, and her husband.
• The district administration suspended PDO Ramegowda KN and ordered a departmental inquiry, which cited failures under Section 111 of the Karnataka Gramswaraj and Panchayat Raj Act.
• The inquiry also recorded dereliction of duty under Rule 3 of the Karnataka Civil Service (Conduct) Rules, with the officer kept under suspension on subsistence allowance and movement restrictions under service rules.
• BJP leaders, including state president B.Y. Vijayendra and LoP R. Ashok, criticised the Congress-led government and demanded safeguards to ensure timely salary payments to local-body and contractual workers.