Four mid-rank police officers of Bengaluru police were transferred by the Election Commission late on Tuesday evening based on a high-level inquiry, for favouring one particular political party. The inquiry instituted by the Election Commission and carried out by Bangalore Regional Commissioner IAS, Shivayogi Kalasad and IPS Inspector General of Police Railways Bangalore D Roopa, found the four favouring the ruling alliance in the state.
Sources told TNM that formation of IPS-IAS inquiry is unusual and was instituted after previous investigations by the DGP’s office in this case, along with several other cases, was found to be unsatisfactory.
The four officers who were transferred are Assistant Commissioner of Police Ravirprasad P of Yeshwantpura Sub Division, and three inspectors of Jnanabharathi (V Shivareddy), Peenya (Sreenivas VT) and Yeshwanthapura (Mudduraj Y) police stations.
While Raviprasad and Srinivas have been posted in the Crime Investigation Department (CID), Shivareddy and Mudduraj have been transferred to the State Intelligence Department and the Internal Security Division departments respectively.
In a report to the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer Sanjeev Kumar, the joint inquiry officers have stated that the “officers are found to be easily registering cases and entertaining complaints on behalf of one political party only and do not receive and look into complaints given by other political parties”.
A report by the Public Prosecutor Revanasiddappa submitted to a city court was also used by the inquiry committee, which paved the way for the transfer.
The Public Prosecutor noted that while an accused in a land dispute case connected to their favoured party was freely campaigning in Bengaluru North constituency, the officers concerned failed to arrest him.
The report added, “From the inquiries, it is ascertained that Raviprasad, ACP, Yeshwanthpur Sub-Division, registered a case against BJP workers in Crime No. 57/2018 of Jalahalli Police Station, while the complaints by BJP was not taken and was bunked. Y Mudduraj, Police Inspector, Yeshwanthpur Police Station, has registered a series of complaints against a BJP nominee.”
The report further added, “It has come to notice that the above said officers often accompany the candidate of a particular party during campaigning on the pretext of law and order maintenance, which, in turn, influences the voters because of their presence in uniform with rank, stars and badges.”