It is not the first time that Meena’s desire to wield the lathi has got the better of him. On December 27, 2010, three weeks after he took over as deputy commissioner of Kolar, he intervened in an argument between voters and an election officer, grabbed a lathi from a police constable and began chasing the voters.
A year earlier, on December 12, 2009, as Chamarajnagar DC, Meena used a policeman’s lathi to disperse agitating farmers. His action saw him shunted out.
The event was organised at the Chennaiah Rangamandira to choose the beneficiaries through lottery system. Some time after the programme began, Karnataka Rakshana Vedike leader Krishnegowda, Subramani and Kooteri Nagaraj from the Students Federation of India (SFI) arrived at the spot and took the officers to task.
They argued that the selection process was improper and demanded that the officers stop the programme.
Agriculture department Joint Director Chikkanna, Assistant Director Gayatri, Tahsildar Dr Dayanand, Taluk Panchayat President N Ramadevi, Executive Officer K S Bhat and others tried to convince them, but in vain.
Upon learning about the incident, Deputy Commissioner Manoj Kumar Meena arrived at the Rangamandira and tried to convince the protesters.
He tried to explain to them that the beneficiaries were chosen in the same manner in all the districts.
The same rules and regulations applied in Kolar also, he said.
The protesters ignored the deputy commissioner’s appeals and continued to press for their demands. An irritated deputy commissioner took hold of Krishnegowda’s collars and pushed him out of the hall.
Taken aback by the sudden turn of events, the farmers walked out of the venue and staged a rasta roko.
The police tried to convince the protesters, and when they did not relent, arrested them. The selection of the beneficiaries took place even in the absence of the farmers.