BENGALURU: The alleged phone tapping row, in which an ADGP-rank officer along with six other inspectors are said to have eavesdropped on two other ADGPs, has rattled the police ranks. The IPS officers’ association is now planning to submit a memorandum to the state government seeking a probe.
“We have received information that the privacy of two ADGP-rank officers has also been intruded upon. Both the officers were in the running for the Bengaluru city police commissioner’s post. It’s a black mark for our department and strict action should be initiated against whoever is behind the act,” said an officer who is part of the association.
Many IPS officers are said to be upset with the way some seniors were hobnobbing with those in the previous government. “This is a very serious matter and has to be probed. There are several levels of scrutiny and protocols which need to be followed when phones are intercepted for various reasons. Also, the data should be deleted within seven days of the recording and a report has to be submitted to the government as to why the phone was intercepted and what was the outcome,” explained an officer.
However, in this case, it is alleged that the phones were not only illegally intercepted, but the data transferred on to a pen drive and handed over to an ADGP, which was later leaked to the media. “The conversation was recorded, then transferred to a drive and leaked too. It’s a serious offence,” said a retired police officer.