BENGALURU: Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, who held a review meeting with senior police officers for the first time after becoming the CM, is said to have given a stern warning to officers to ensure their staff does not join hands with anti-social elements and involve in criminal activities that mar the image of the entire police force.
It is learnt that Kumaraswamy, in the first ever Senior Police Officers’ Review Meeting held after he assumed charge as CM, directed the officers not to let police stations to become ‘dealing centres’. Referring to alleged abduction and murder of Gangadhar Chadachana and the alleged fake encounter of his elder brother Dharmaraj Chadachana at Indi in Vijayapura, in which four policemen, including a sub-inspector were arrested, the CM reportedly warned the officers that the government would not tolerate involvement of police staff in any criminal activity and asked them to know what their staff are up to, if necessary.
Also, the CM, along with Deputy CM and Home Minister G Parameshwara, have asked the officers to keep up the reputation of the Karnataka police force. An officer, who attended the meeting, said that they directed the officers to ask their staff not to stop their patrolling vehicles or stand in uniform at bar and restaurants. “There is such a situation where people have the conception that police have come to extort money from bar owners, even if they are not doing so. It is better not to repeat this, unless it is necessary,” the officer said, quoting the CM.
The CM has also reportedly asked the officers to not waste their time lobbying for lucrative postings. “Officers must be ready to work wherever the government posts them. Instead of that, do not waste your time wandering in the corridors of Vidhana Soudha to get transfers. I will discuss with the Home Minister and decide on transferring officers once in two years,” the CM reportedly told officers. The CM has also asked the officers to keep a tab on those who try to create communal unrest either through provocative speeches and posting inflammatory messages on social networking platforms. He is said to have told them that he does not even want a single incident of communal riot in the state as long as he is in power and would make the district police head responsible if any such incident occurs.
CM, DyCM appreciate SIT probing Gauri murder
Both the CM and the DyCM were happy about the way the investigation was done in the Gauri Lankesh murder case and also appreciated the SIT Chief BK Singh, Chief Investigation Officer MN Anucheth and SP Harish Pandey, for their work. They also asked the officers to ensure no information is leaked till the probe is completed. Like any other meeting held by the CM, even the senior police officials were not allowed to bring in their mobile phones into the conference hall.