Sasikala VIP Treatment: Ex-IAS Officer to Probe Into Allegation
DIG Roopa was demoted to the post of commissioner of traffic and road safety on Monday.
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The Karnataka government has appointed retired IAS officer Vinay Kumar to probe into the alleged special treatment meted out to AIADMK (Amma) leader VK Sasikala and other "erroneous" practises in the central jail in Bengaluru on Tuesday.
Kumar was appointed by the government for the probe after D Roopa, shunted out as DIG (Prisons) yesterday, highlighted in a report the alleged special privileges given to Sasikala and others inside Parapana Agrahara Central Jail.
Kumar is in possession of the report submitted by Roopa, who had alleged irregularities and destruction of evidence, and has also been given the copies of the show-cause notices issued to the officials for the alleged lapses.
He refused to divulge the deadline given by the government to finish the probe and submit the report.
Police Officers Transferred
A few hours after Karnataka's Deputy Inspector of General (Prisons), Roopa, whose explosive letter alleged special treatment to VK Sasikala in Bengaluru’s Parappana Agrahara Central Prison, was transferred, the prison’s superintendent Krishna Kumar was also transferred. R Anitha has been named as their replacement.
DIG Roopa’s letter created a huge controversy and she was moved from prisons to traffic on Monday.
Along with Roopa, her senior, DGP (Prisons) HN Sathyanarayana was also transferred with immediate effect. While Roopa has been demoted to the post of commissioner of traffic and road safety, it was not clear what post Rao has been transferred to. IPS HS Revanna appointed as DIG (Prisons), Bengaluru, has also given been additional charge of Chief Superintendent, Bengaluru Central Jail.
She was transferred along with four other officials in what looked like a regular reshuffle of top cops.
The transfer comes just two days after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah issued notices to both DIG Roopa and Rao, with whom she was involved in a very public spat.
Siddaramaiah claimed that the transfers were an administrative process and it was not necessary to disclose everything to the media.
The Chief Minister had slammed both the DGP and the DIG for the leaking Roopa’s report to the media.
Last week, Roopa had submitted a report alleging bribery in the prison and said, “Sasikala has given Rs 1 crore bribe to Rao and another Rs 1 crore was distributed among officials, including the warden of the central jail, where she is serving four-year sentence in an illegal wealth case for allowing her special privileges.”
After D Roopa submitted a report alleging that Sasikala, the jailed AIADMK general secretary, was being extended several facilities in exchange for bribe, Rao had denied the allegation and accused Roopa of making public a report which should have been first submitted to him.
DGP Rao Defends Bribery Charges in 16-Page Report
Both Roopa and DGP (Prisons) Satyanarayana Rao have been at loggerheads after the former alleged that Rao had accepted a Rs 2 crore bribe. In response to the DIG’s report, Rao had submitted a 16-page report to the Home Department, in which he listed the developments from the day Roopa assumed charge as DIG (Prisons) till the day the letter was written.
The report stated that DIG Roopa resorted to leaking her report to the media as she was not given additional responsibilities, according to The News Minute.
According to the DGP, DIG Roopa had asked him for these additional responsibilities and he had directed her to take up the matter with the Home Department.
Roopa had filed another report later, alleging attempt to destroy evidence of facilities provided to the high profile politician earlier.
After Sasikala, 32 Convicts Shifted From Bengaluru Jail
In a sudden move, 32 convicts serving terms in the Parapanna Agrahara Central Prison were shifted to two other jails in Karnataka on 16 July allegedly for trying to air their grievances, an official said.
The convicts were shifted around 1 am to prisons in Ballari and Belagavi, the official said on condition of anonymity.
The official said the jail inmates were desperate to meet Roopa as they think she could solve their problems.
The jail inmates were 'unhappy' with the conduct of the prison superintendent and accused him of beating them up for airing their grievances on several occasions in the past, the official said.
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