Who Is Sol Dodum? Case Study For Ethics

Table of Contents

The News

A young activist from Arunachal Pradesh completed a 225 km journey on foot to Itanagar against the state government’s alleged failure to provide clean drinking water to each household in his town.
Sol Dodum started his journey from his hometown Seppa – the district headquarters of East Kameng district situated on the bank of the Kameng river on April 15 2022 and reached reached Itanagar on April 18 2022.
Dodum was protesting against the misconduct meted out to him for his demand to provide clean water in Seppa township. More than 3,000 people joined him along the way to show their support.

Dodum had walked over 200 kilometres from Seppa in East Kameng district to Itanagar, demanding safe drinking water for Seppa township and the reconstruction of a road destroyed during the installation of water delivery pipes.
Dodum complained to PHED and District commissioner about the lack of potable water to people of Seppa. He alleged that corrupt practices by officials of the public health engineering (PHED) department delayed work on water supply projects at Seppa, leading to an increase in people’s struggle for drinking water.
However, his complaints fell on deaf ears. He was dismissed from PHED. He eventually started a protest demanding an investigation into the Seppa Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) and his dismissal from the department’s Seppa division.

Social activist Sol Dodum appealed to the State Government for a permanent PHED Executive Engineer (EE) in the East Kameng district, replacing the present EE in-charge Bharat Sonam. Dodum also demanded the formation of an SIT to investigate the recent attack on him and his colleagues during a peaceful protest in Seppa.
He also demanded departmental action against the EE; transfer of Deputy Commissioner PA Polumatla; and registration of a case to investigate corruption involved in the Water Treatment Plant (WTP) at Lai Moya, WTP at Macha and water supply project at Kuchi Nallah.
Dodum alledged, Bharat Sonam has been EE since 2015 and he should be relieved from the post. Dodum also claimed that Sonam has appointed his kith and kin in various posts in the PHE department through illegal means. He also complained that the PHED is inattentive to respond to the information sought through RTI.
Dodum appealed that Seppa township should be immediately provided with potable water and a magisterial enquiry should be initiated in the recent cement refilling of damaged roads due to laying of a water pipeline.

Dodum called off his march to Delhi after the representative of the State Government handed over him an approval letter to transfer is Seppa PS case No. 13/2022 U/S 323/324/341/427/34/120B IPC to SIT and approval for conducting preliminary inquiry by Vigilance Department (SIC) on fund misappropriation in the Department of PHED & WS Seppa Division.
The Executive Engineer has been transferred, the water facilities are being corrected, the cases have been transferred to SIT & SIC and the transfer of DC will be done within a few months as per the rule.

You are posted as Deputy Commissioner of East Kameng district. In recent years a basic services crisis has hit citizens. There have been many protests outside your office demanding supply of basic services like drinking water, roads etc. In a recent protest, one of the activist begins a march on capital demanding to fulfill their requests. The activist begins a hunger strike and his health deteriorates. The situation becomes tense and may go out of hand if something happens to the activist leader. The others accuse you that you did not appear and hear his grievances personally. They are calling for your suspension by the government. The district in-charge minister promises protesters that the state government would be soon taking action against you.
What are the options in front of you ? Examine their merits and demerits. Also suggest which course of action you will take along with a justification.