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NCSC notice to Hazaribagh officials over harassment plaint
The NCSC is investigating Vishal Kumar Valmiki's harassment complaint against officials in Hazaribagh, demanding a report within 15 days.
The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) officially took cognisance of a harassment complaint by Vishal Kumar Valmiki, former caretaker of the Hazaribagh Circuit House, and issued notice to Hazaribagh deputy commissioner (DC) Hemant Sati and SP Aman Kumar, demanding a comprehensive status report within 15 days, said people in the know on Wednesday.
In his formal complaint, Valmiki alleged that he faced extreme physical, mental, and financial atrocities driven by a casteist mindset. He specifically accused the district fisheries officer Pradeep Singh, who also held additional charge of the DC office’s confidential section, of frequently consuming alcohol inside the Circuit House VIP rooms.
Valmiki claimed Singh forced him to purchase expensive alcohol using his personal funds, becoming abusive when met with refusal. Furthermore, Valmiki alleged then Hazaribagh DC Shashi Prakash Singh actively shielded the officer by ignoring his WhatsApp grievances and refusing meetings.
Following his attempts to report the misconduct, Valmiki was removed from his duties, leaving him with ₹7 lakh in debt due to withheld outstanding bills. The NCSC has demanded explicit details from the district administration, including the FIR number, registered legal sections, details of any arrests made, investigation status, and the timeline of interim compensation disbursed under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Rules.
The commission warned that failure to comply within the fortnight would result in personal summons to New Delhi.
Shashi Prakash Singh, who is now Deoghar DC, expressed ignorance about any such incident of harassment and suggested contacting someone in Hazaribagh to get details in the matter.
In response to the allegations, fisheries officer Pradeep Singh presented an entirely different narrative, dismissing the claims of targeted caste bias as baseless, misleading, and legally untenable.
“Everything happened when actions were taken against the outsourced managing agency, M/s Nirman Services Pvt. Ltd. due to operational negligence and contract breaches,” Singh said.
Singh said the agency was awarded the upkeep contract on July 9, 2025. However, a surprise inspection conducted on November 11, 2025, by assistant collector-cum-ADM Anand Sharma exposed 17 severe service deficiencies. Inspectors documented high staff absenteeism, with critical roles like cooks and gardeners completely missing.
The complex faced unsanitary conditions, with unkempt bushes and bathroom items stored inside the grain storage area. Crucial amenities like guest soap, active television connections, and mosquito nets were absent, while raw catering materials meant for 50 people were entirely missing.
“Following an unanswered show cause notice, the Nazarat deputy collector officially terminated the contract on November 18, 2025, ordering the agency to vacate the premises due to a total failure to maintain standard operating procedures,” Singh said.
