Bhubaneswar, May 21: The state government has sought a report from the Jagatsinghpur SP about the status of the case registered against former agriculture minister, Damodar Rout for his alleged anti-Dalit remark.

M Paikray, under secretary in SC and ST Development, in a letter to Jagatsinghpur SP issued on Thursday, requested him to “intimate the present position of the case at an early date”.

One Manoj Kumar Bhoi of Tartang village in Jagatsinghpur district had lodged a complaint in Kujang police station alleging that the then minister, Rout, had used the derogatory word “harijan” at a public meeting at Kujang last year.

Basing on the complaint, a case was registered on August 21 last year under Section 3 (i) (x) of SC & ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. The investigation was entrusted to DSP, G.D. Pradhan. Rout, who was then a minister, surrendered in the court of judicial magistrate first class at Kujang on the high court’s direction last month and was released on bail.

“Meanwhile, more than seven months have passed. In this connection, the National Commission for SC is pressing hard on this issue and enquired as to what action has been taken against Rout,” said the official of SC/ST Development department in his letter to Jagatsinghpur SP.

Jagatsinghpur SP, S. Devdutta Singh told The Telegraph that he had not received any letter from the SC/ST Development department on the matter.

“I will comply with the government instruction after I receive any such letter,” he said.

“Presently, a case is pending and the investigation is going on,” said Singh.