The Karnataka government’s hasty transfers of two top police officials over the political clash in Ballari that killed one person have sparked concerns that the police are being turned into scapegoats to protect politicians. Police force insiders and critics of the government’s move have called it an attempt to divert attention from the political fallout of the killing.
Former IPS officer Bhaskar Rao, who served as Bengaluru Police Commissioner and retired in 2021, criticised the government’s decision to transfer the SP and IGP over the violence. “When you do something drastic, the discussion shifts from the political slugfest to the transfers. Criticism of the transfer is easier to handle. You can’t shift the spotlight back to politics,” he said.
The clash
On January 1, a dispute arose between the supporters of Congress MLA Nara Bharath Reddy, who represents Bellary City constituency, and BJP MLA G Janardhan Reddy, elected from Gangavathi constituency. Bharath Reddy’s supporters were putting up banners outside Janardhan Reddy’s house in Ballari for Valmiki Jayanti celebrations to be held on January 3, to which the latter’s supporters objected.
The clash escalated despite the police resorting to lathi charge. Shots were fired, killing Bharat Reddy’s supporter Rajashekar Reddy. Police later said that the bullet that killed Rajashekar was likely fired from a privately-owned weapon.
Then Ballari Superintendent of Police (SP) Pavan Nejjur was transferred for dereliction of duty less than a day after he took charge in the district. Six days later, Ballari Range Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Vartika Katiyar was also transferred.
Rumours that Nejjur had attempted suicide after the transfer order were dispelled by his batchmates. Katiyar has since challenged her transfer, reportedly on grounds that it was less than two years since she took charge as Ballari Range DIG.
‘Unfair’ move
A police officer aware of the developments around Katiyar’s transfer told TNM that Katiyar’s transfer was “unfair”. “She was a supervisory officer and not directly responsible for law and order in the district. That’s the SP’s job. This was a political situation. Nothing happens to politicians, but we are made scapegoats. The same thing happened after the Bengaluru stampede,” the officer said on condition of anonymity.
Stating that it hadn’t even been 24 hours since Nejjur took charge as SP in the district, former IPS officer Bhaskar Rao recalled instances from his own career and that of others, when governments stood by police officers who hadn’t had enough time to familiarise themselves with the workings at their new posting.
“When I was SP in Bengaluru Rural the neera (toddy) riots had occurred. I had been there for three months and (the then CM) SM Krishna stood his ground and said I hadn’t had enough time. This SP was in Ballari for less than 24 hours. In another instance in the 1970s, the government transferred an SP to Kolar in the middle of communal riots and took responsibility saying that it was their fault that they transferred an officer in the middle of a riot,” Rao said.
A repeat of Bengaluru
The state government’s haste in transferring senior police officers over the political clash in Ballari follows a pattern seen seven months ago following the stampede in Bengaluru.
Senior police officers, including the then Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda, were transferred for failing to control crowds that eventually led to a stampede that killed 11 people.
At the time, several police officers who spoke to the media anonymously said that while the transfer of certain officers was justified, those of others, including the Police Commissioner, was not. They felt that police officers had been made scapegoats for a situation that was created by the political establishment and bureaucracy.
TNM had reported that the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s political secretary K Govindraj likely played a role in facilitating permission for celebrations in front of Vidhana Soudha hours before they began.
On the transfers of police officers over the Bengaluru stampede, Rao said that there was nothing wrong with transferring officers if they were at fault, but action should have been taken only after fault was established.
“The government wriggled out of bad publicity by transferring police officers. It is incompetent to blame minions and doesn’t inspire confidence [in the government],” Rao said.
