IPS officer points at political interference in functioning of the Karnataka police
BENGALURU: The Siddaramaiah government, which is facing the wrath of the people and opposition over the law and order situation in the state, now has to deal with another severe embarrassment in the run-up to the Assembly election with a senior IPS officer crying foul over the recent incidents of attacks on the Lokayukta, goondaism of the son of a Congress MLA and political interference in functioning of the police.
Expressing serious dismay over the state of affairs, IPS Officers’ (Karnataka) Association president ADGP Rajvir Pratap Sharma, has in a letter urged Chief Secretary K Ratna Prabha to convene a meeting of all IPS officers and some retired IPS officers to discuss “threadbare and evolve a strategy considering our immediate goal of a fair and free election and long-term goal of imbibing strong professional values in the service and police force of Karnataka.’
Sharma has, in his four-page letter, listed the recent attack on Lokayukta Justice P Vishwanath Shetty, the attack by Congress MLA NA Haris’s son Mohammed Nalapad Haris on Vidvat Loganatha at a cafe at UB city, the assault on IAS officer V Rashmi in Mysuru and the attempt to set on fire to a BBMP office by a Congress leader in Bengaluru city as incidents of serious concern. “This indicates serious chinks in the armour of the security fabric.”
Conveying his serious displeasure over political interference in police duties, Sharma said, “IPS officers have been punished for discharging their duties, but during the meeting with you, I will bring to your notice many specific instances of recent past so as to demonstrate how officers have been demoralised.”
“Investigations have been hijacked by politicians in important cases and law-breakers have lost the fear of police. Again, I am not trying to be specific at the moment, but I will give specific instances to show that flow of the investigation was changed at political behest. The specialized agencies headed by senior IPS officers have also become redundant on account of such interference,” Sharma has said in his letter.
He has also strong opposed the frequent transfer of police officers.
“The tenure has become a casualty and even the Bangalore City Police Commissioner’s post has been occupied by six officers in the last four-and-half years. Thus, the continuity, the command formation and of course the intrinsic confidence in the service members is at abysmally low levels,” Sharma has contended.
It is his personal view, says CMO
The secretary of the IPS Officers’ (Karnataka) Association Pronab Mohanty has termed R P Sharma’s views as personal. The Chief Minister’s office, in a communique to the media on Sunday night, said that Mohanty, who is in Delhi, spoke to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah over phone and said the issues raised by Sharma were not discussed in the IPS Association. The CMO communique said the issues raised by Sharma are his personal views and have no backing of the executive committee of the Association. It was not discussed in the Board Meeting of the Association. The government has taken a serious view of Sharma’s conduct and is likely to take disciplinary action.