Bengaluru:  Raking up the issue of IAS and IPS officers committing suicide, taking voluntary retirement or being transferred under the Siddharamaiah Government, BJP State General Secretary and Udupi-Chikkamagaluru MP, Shobha Karandlaje, at a press conference in Bengaluru yesterday alleged that the   morale of bureaucracy was at an all-time low under the present dispensation.

To support her view, Karandlaje listed the suicides of D.K. Ravi (IAS) and Dy.SP. M.K. Ganapathy, the frequent transfers of KAS officer K. Mathai, the shunting out of IPS officer D. Roopa from the Prisons Department, the cloud under which Director General of Police (DGP) (Prisons) H.N. Sathyanarayana Rao retired and the recent cases of Rohini Sindhuri Dasari and Koppal SP Anup Shetty being sent on a transfer only for the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) to stay the order.

“All these cases point to persistent interference of political bosses in the Congress party, including Chief Minister Siddharamaiah,” Karandlaje told reporters. “This has led to the morale of Police and IAS officers being at an all-time low.”

Karandlaje’s claims come in the wake of a letter written by the IPS Officers’ Association President, R.P. Sharma, to the Chief Secretary Ratna Prabha over persistent interference of political bosses in the functioning of the Police Department. Karandlaje said the State has been unable to quell rumours and suspicion of Siddharamaiah receiving quid-pro-quo for providing “added benefits” to prisoner and Tamil Nadu political heavyweight V.K. Sasikala, as claimed by Rao in his statement to the inquiry committee headed by retired IAS officer Vinay Kumar. “Both Roopa, who was the whistleblower in the case, and Rao, who was suspected of pampering Sasikala in prison, have been shunted out.

Now, Rao, who is retired, has said that Siddharamaiah had himself called him to the KPC Guest House and ordered that Sasikala be given a cot, bed, pillow and blanket. So what did Siddharamaiah receive in return?” she questioned.

Koppal SP moves CAT over transfer orders

Bengaluru, Mar. 14 – Questioning his sudden transfer, Koppal Superintendent of Police (SP) Dr.  Anup A. Shetty has lodged a complaint with the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT).

In the complaint, Shetty, who is yet to complete one year in his current position, has challenged the transfer and has  termed the transfer order ‘not as per norms’. CAT has stayed Shetty’s transfer order.

The date for the next hearing is unknown.