Politics

Karnataka government is hounding cops into committing suicide

Aravind GowdaJuly 15, 2016 | 16:35 IST

In other parts of India, jobs in the government sector could be considered lucrative, but definitely not in the Congress-ruled Karnataka these days where police officers and bureaucrats are being hounded by their political masters or their stooges resulting in suicides and resignations!

Rather than taking cognisance of the developments that are hurting the image of the party, the Congress government led by chief minister Siddaramaiah, is on the offensive by humiliating the family members of such aggrieved government servants.

As a consequence, the Congress, which is already in doldrums because of its bickering and poor administration, is further sliding in Karnataka.

The list of officers suffering at the hands of their political masters is growing every day - last week Siddaramaiah's aide Mari Gowda, who does not hold any government position, not only abused and threatened deputy commissioner C Shikha in Siddaramaiah's home district of Mysore, but is absconding despite the victim lodging a police complaint against him.

Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah. (PTI)

It is an irony that Shikha happens to be the district magistrate of Mysore district, but the police under her are unable to trace Siddaramaiah's "right hand", who secretly filed for an anticipatory bail.

It is a different matter that the CM's office tried to convince the lady officer to withdraw her complaint against Siddaramaiah's aide.

They tried to influence her through her husband, who also happens to be an IAS officer in Karnataka.

Last week, DySP MK Ganapathy committed suicide after blaming former home minister KJ George, who is now the Bangalore's city development minister, and two senior IPS officers on camera.

Also read - What has Siddaramaiah to hide on Karnataka police officer's suicide?

Though his family members claimed that Ganapathy, who was facing multiple probes was suffering from depression, the actual motive for his action was to be probed by registering an FIR against George.

But the government displayed its audacity in the legislature by terming the suicide as a result of marital rift.

Now, Ganapathy's family members are contemplating suing the government for tarnishing their character.

A judicial probe has been ordered into the matter but the government has not registered a FIR against George.

Another Dy SP Kallappa Handibagh committed suicide after the police ordered a probe into a kidnapping and extortion incident in which the officer seemed to have been made a scapegoat.

Amidst all these came another jolt when the brother of a police officer, who was allegedly targeted by the government, said he would hold Siddaramaiah responsible if anything happened to him.

Bangalore's city development minister, KJ George. (PTI)

According to him, senior inspector GN Mohan is a victim of witch hunting by the Congress government because he dared to book the CM's son for poll related violations in 2013 before the party came to power.

Mohan suffered from depression, as he was denied promotion and faced harassment at the hands of senior police officers, his brother alleged.

In June, lady police officer Anupama Shenoy, who was humiliated by former minister PT Parameshwara Naik (another aide of Siddaramaiah), quit her post after launching a viral attack on the Congress leader through her social media account.

Also read - Why three years of Siddaramaiah's rule have been a total failure

Last month, senior IAS officer Subodh Yadav, who took on the garbage mafia in Bangalore, was shunted out overnight from Bangalore's municipal corporation.

What do these developments indicate? Siddaramaiah has shown that the administration seems to be working in favour of the politicians and not the bureaucrats or the police officers.

The government servants are openly expressing fear psychosis and are seeking refuge with the opposition parties. This is definitely not a good sign for the Congress, which seems to have taken a laidback approach towards every issue in Karnataka.

(Courtesy of Mail Today.)

Last updated: July 15, 2016 | 16:35
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