Dismissed IAS officer threatens self immolation

Bhopal, Jan 27 (PTI) A dismissed 1993-batch IAS officerof the Madhya Pradesh cadre today threatened self immolationbefore the Prime Minister''s Office (PMO) if he was notreinstated by February 5.

"I want to say very categorically that I am beingpersecuted and hounded only because I happen to be a Dalit,"Ramesh Thete told PTI on phone from Jabalpur.

He claims to be going through a lot of torture justbecause his job had not been given back and hence has decidedtake this extreme step.

He said he was dismissed from service after the Principalof a technical institute here had complained against him ofdemanding Rs one lakh bribe in February 2002.

Thete said he was not being taken back even though boththe Supreme Court and the High Court had acquitted him of thecharges of taking a bribe.

The matter of his reinstatement had been also repeatedlysent to the Law Ministry which had earlier cleared him of thecharges.