Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru
With PTI Inputs

Bengaluru, Jul 14: A top police officer, who came out with a controversial report on alleged special treatment in jail to AIADMK (Amma) leader V K Sasikala, has been served a notice by the state government asking her to explain why she reported the issue to the media.

"It is absolutely against the rulebook," Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said, expressing open displeasure over public comments by Deputy Inspector of General (Prisons) D Roopa on her report, which has also brought her superior and other prison officials under a cloud of bribery allegations.

Siddaramaiah said she could have approached any of her superiors about her charges against senior officials.

"It is inappropriate on her part to share details with media," Siddaramaiah told reporters in Mysuru.

He said the allegations before the mainstream and social media has brought embarrassment to the police department.

Roopa has been asked to give a reply to the notice served on her, the chief minister said.

He also said a probe has been ordered into thecharges levelled by Roopa against DGP (Prisons) Sathyanarayana Rao.

A retired officer has been appointed to look into bribery allegations, he said.

In her report submitted to her superior Rao, Roopa had alleged that there was "talk" that a sum of Rs 2 crore had exchanged hands to provide preferential treatment to Sasikala and even said there were allegations against him as well.

Rao, however, has rubbished Roopa's charge against him, terming it "absolutely false, baseless and wild". He said he would take legal recourse against his junior.

He has said no special treatment was being given to Sasikala. In her four-page report after visiting the central prison on July 10, Roopa had said a special kitchen was functioning in the jail here for Sasikala, a convict in a corruption case, in violation of the rules.

Sasikala has been lodged at the Parappana Agrahara central jail here since her conviction in February in a disproportionate assets case along with her two relatives, V N Sudhakaran and Elavarasi, all serving a four-year jail term.

Taking "serious cognisance" of the allegations of irregularities in the central prison, Siddaramaiah yesterday ordered the probe and warned of "strict action" based on the inquiry report, if anyone was found involved in wrong-doing.

Not fair, says DIG Roopa

Karnataka Deputy Inspector General of Police (Prisons) D Roopa Moudgil, who had submitted a report exposing irregularities at Parappana Agrahara Central Jail, alleged that she is being singled out for talking to the media. The top cop received a show cause notice from Karnataka Government for speaking to the media about the report.

“If conduct rules apply to me, it applies to everyone such as my seniors as well as juniors who have issued statements to media. You cannot have, show me the face, I will show you the rule,” she said in a television interview.

On July 12, Roopa, an IPS officer of 2000 batch, who had inspected the prison, submitted a report to State Police Chief Rupak Kumar Dutta and the Anti-Corruption Bureau, stating that AIADMK leader VK Sasikala Natarajan is receiving VIP treatment in the jail.

Highlighting violation of eight prison rules, Roopa’s report stated that Sasikala has an exclusive kitchen and is provided with an inmate to help her with her daily chores. The report noted that Prison officials may have received a bribe of Rs 2 crore to give preferential treatment to Sasikala, and the Director General of Prisons HN Satyanarayana Rao could also be a beneficiary. She demanded that a fair probe needs to be conducted.

However, the report was leaked and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced that an inquiry will be conducted on the findings. But the CM also issued a show cause notice to Roopa for ‘breaking service rules’ by speaking to the media.

Reacting to this, Roopa said it was not fair to single her out. “I have not called for a press conference. The media first approached the Director General of Prisons HN Satyanarayana Rao. When the media approached me, I have not revealed any contents of the report and only answered peripheral questions. In case speaking to the media is ‘breaking service rule’, then it should apply to all such as the DG Prisons as well as the Junior Officers who have issued statements to media stating that I don’t know how things work,” she said.

“This is a professional hazard and I am ready to face the grill. However, there should be a fair probe on how the report got leaked,” she stressed.

Roopa’s report also noted that Abdul Karim Telgi, jailed over a multi-crore stamp paper fraud received preferential treatment and over 18 of the 25 randomly selected prisoners were tested positive for taking drugs.

The CM who had spoken to the reporters in Mysuru on Friday said that Roopa could have approached her seniors about her allegations. Instead, approaching the media is not appropriate and against the rule book, he said.

Meanwhile, DG Prisons Satyanarayana Rao has called Roopa’s allegations "wild and baseless". No special treatment is being given to Sasikala, he had told the reporters on Thursday.

HDK demands top prison officials to go on leave till completion of probe

From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network

With Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah ordering a probe into the allegations levelled by DIG Prisons D Roopa against Director General of Prisons (DGP) Satyanarayana Rao that jailed AIADMK General Secretary V K Sasikala had paid Rs 2 crore bribe to Parappana Agrahara Central Prison officials for special treatment inside the jail, JD(S) State President had demanded that the State Government should ask both top officials to go on leave to ensure an impartial and thorough probe.

Addressing a news conference in Bengaluru on Friday, the former Chief Minister said propriety demanded that both the senior-most police officials in charge of the Central Jail must be kept out until the investigation ordered by the State Government was completed.

Kumaraswamy said truth in the alleged payment of Rs 2 crore to the prison officials, including the Director General (Prisons) in order to provide special facilities to Ms Sasikala should be unearthed only if the two senior police officers were asked to go on leave till the completion of the probe.

Alleging that jail authorities in Parappana Agrahara central prison get Rs 1 crore bribe every month for providing various facilities to inmates, the JD(S) leader charged that the Congress government has no control over senior officials in the State.

These cases and the allegations levelled by an officer of the rank of DIG indicated that level of corruption in the administration has assumed enormous proportions and the entire set up must be cleansed, he said.

The JD(S) leader said the State Government’s image was lowered by such bribery charges against senior rank officials.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who also holds the Home portfolio, talks eloquently about transparency and corruption-free administration, Kumaraswamy said and pointed out that the incident showed the Chief Minister’ in poor light.
Siddaramaiah has asked retired IAS officer Vinay Kumar to probe into bribery charges and submit a report in a month.