In a shocking incident, the office room and furniture used by a senior government official belonging to a Sheduled Caste community were 'cleansed' by sprinkling cowdung water, allegedly by some employees shortly after his retirement from service.

A K Ramakrishnan, who retired as inspector general of registration on March 31, has moved the State Human Rights Commission seeking an inquiry into the incident. He said in his complaint that he had reliable information that some employees in the office sprinkled 'cowdung water' over the tables, chairs and even inside the office car used by him while in service.

He said he believed that the 'cleansing' was performed since he belonged to an SC community and it amounted to violation of his human rights and civil liberties. After registering a case based on the petition, SHRC Chairman Justice N Dhinakar sent a notice to the secretary taxes, seeking a report on the allegation by May 7, an SHRC source said.

Asked about the incident, Ramakrishnan said he would vigorously pursue the case as he considered it as an insult to the socially depressed class. "I take this not just as a personal insult. This is a humiliation heaped on the socially depressed classes as a whole.

If this is the experience of a person who had held the topmost post in a government department, what would be the situation of ordinary people belonging to the lower rungs of social strata?" Ramakrishnan asked mediapersons.

"All these five years when I worked as IG of registration I had bitter experiences. But I have suffered them without getting worked up. But what has happened even after my retirement is really painful," he said.