DK District law and order: Free hand to criminals?
The developments witnessed in Dakshina Kannada district over the past few days have exposed who actually controls the law and order situation in the district. When the deputy commissioner (DC) warns miscreants not to take the law into their hands, the DC not only receives open threats to life but also gets transferred within two days of having issued the warning. People’s representatives who are supposed to extend support to the DC, assigned with the responsibility of maintaining the law and order in the district, choose to not react, thereby extending their silent support to the anti-social elements. These developments have raised several significant questions and triggered anxiety among the people of the district whether the Sangha Parivar is a sub-branch of the police department.
Dakshina Kannada DC Sindhu B. Rupesh had recently convened a high-level meeting of district officials. The main objective of convening the meeting was to ensure that law and order are maintained in the district. Any untoward incident or unrest in the district could leave an impact on the people of the district already battered by the Coronavirus, lockdown, and other developments. In this context, the meeting assumed significance. After the meeting, DC issued two main orders.
One order was against those indulging in ‘illegal, unlawful cattle transport’. ‘In view of Bakrid, slaughterhouse operations should not be run illegally. Stringent action would be taken against those indulging in illegal transport of cows and the killing of cows,’ was the gist of the order.
The other order was against ‘fake cow protectors.’ ‘It is an offence to stop, indulge in brawls, and assault the transportation of cattle. If illegal activities are noticed, police should be informed immediately. Instead, if anyone takes the law into their hands, stringent action would be taken against them,’ the order warned.
The moment the second order was issued, miscreants of the Sangh Parivar vented their ire on social media. They not only criticized the DC but also started hurling several allegations against her and went to the extent of issuing her a life threat. Though the police filed a suo-moto case and arrested the accused, the question is not against the threats to the DC per se but rather about who is responsible for the growth of such miscreants of the Sangh Parivar who openly issue such life threats against the senior-most officer of the district administration for simply asking the people follow the law.
There is no doubt that ‘fake cow protectors’ are extortionists operating in the garb of cow-protectors. These vigilantes have neither reared cows nor hold any sort of an emotional connect with them. This ‘fake cow protection’ is, in fact, proving to be a headache for those who eke out living rearing cows and selling milk, and is not helping anyone.
Many of them face several serious allegations of stopping poor farmers from selling their cattle, threatening and capturing the cattle, and selling them secretly to slaughterhouses and minting money on the pretext of sending them into cattle protection centres. At the same time, they indulge in threatening and seizing cash and mobile from the hapless cattle transporters. Criminal cases are registered against many of them.
Rejected by society as goondas in the past, they are now wearing the fancy dress of ‘cow protectors’ and trying to gain credibility and social acceptance. If the police try to take action against them, they take shelter under religion, culture, and different masks they wear. They are also the foot-soldiers of a political party and have therefore become a huge challenge in the maintenance of law and order. Emboldened by the backing of political leaders, they have now grown to the extent of sending threatening messages through social media to the DC. The DC is not the only one who is responsible for ensuring that miscreants don’t hijack the law and order situation in a district. People’s representatives who have won popular votes are also equally responsible. When the DC tried to protect the law and order and received life threats, the peoples’ representatives should have immediately responded and stood in support of the DC. But through their silence, these representatives indirectly supported the extremists. Ironically, DC was transferred within two days after the orders were issued. People are now suspecting that DC’s commitment to work is perhaps responsible for the unexpected transfer. Does it then mean that political leaders are of the view that law and order need not be maintained in the district? Or does it mean that the responsibility of maintaining law and order has been handed over to these miscreants who are facing criminal charges?
As though to corroborate this, an incident occurred recently in Belthangady taluk. A meeting of police officers convened by Belthangady MLA about preventing cattle lifting and illegal transport of cattle was attended by Sangh Parivar leaders. What was the need for the presence of ‘fake cow protectors’ of Sangha Parivar in the meeting of police officials convened to stop illegal cow transportation? Many of the Sangha Parivar leaders who attended the meeting are facing criminal cases. By inviting them to the meeting and sitting alongside them, the legislator has not only dented the image of the law enforcement agencies but also brought down the morale of the police. If those who are supposed to be in prison sit alongside the police in an official meeting called by the legislator, what is the message that the legislator is sending across? It is similar to giving wolves the role of protecting sheep. These developments expose the way in which the miscreants of Sangh Parivar have an unlawful nexus with the police department in the district. How can we then expect law and order and peace to prevail in Dakshina Kannada? And how can a new DC be expected to act boldly in matters of law and order in the district?
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LoP Ashoka targets CM govt over corruption, says being 'shameless' in public life not forgivable
Bengaluru (PTI): Targeting Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the Congress government in Karnataka on corruption, BJP leader R Ashoka on Friday said, being foolish was forgivable, but being "shameless" in public life was not.
The Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly claimed that in just 30 months of its tenure, the Congress administration has broken every previous record on corruption-related controversies.
He was responding to Siddaramaiah's post on 'X' on Thursday hitting back at the BJP, stating that Upa Lokayukta Justice Veerappa's claims of "63 per cent corruption" were based on his report in November 2019, when BJP's B S Yediyurappa was the CM.
"But Ashoka, without understanding the Upa Lokayukta's statement properly, has ended up tying the BJP's own bells of sins onto our heads and has effectively shot himself in the foot," the CM had said, as he accused Ashoka of foolishness for trying to twist Veerappa's statement to target the current government.
Responding, Ashoka said, "it is one thing to be called foolish in politics, that can be forgiven."
"But in public life, especially in the Chief Minister's chair, one must never become shameless," Ashoka posted on 'X' on Friday addressing Siddaramaiah.
Noting that the CM himself had admitted on the floor of the Assembly that a Rs 87 crore scam took place in the Valmiki Development Corporation, he said that when a CM acknowledges such a massive irregularity inside the floor of the House, the natural expectation is immediate action and accountability.
"But instead of taking responsibility, you continue in office as if nothing has happened. What should the people of Karnataka call this, if not sheer shamelessness," he asked.
Pointing out that the CM's Economic Advisor and senior Congress MLA Basavaraja Rayareddy had publicly stated that under Congress rule, Karnataka has become No.1 in corruption, Ashoka said, "Yet, you still cling to the Chief Minister's chair without a moment of introspection. What should the people of Karnataka call this, if not sheer shamelessness."
Senior Congress MLA C R Patil had exposed the "money for House" racket in the Housing Department and even warned that the government would collapse if the details he has were made public, Ashoka said.
"Despite such serious allegations from within your own party (Congress), you neither initiated an inquiry nor acted against the concerned minister. What should the people of Karnataka call this, if not sheer shamelessness," Ashoka asked the CM.
Highlighting the "40 percent commission" allegation Congress made against the previous BJP government, the opposition leader said, the commission that the Siddaramaiah government appointed concluded that the accusation was baseless.
"After your own panel demolished your own claim, what moral right do you have to continue repeating that allegation. What should the people of Karnataka call this, if not sheer shamelessness," he asked.
For the last two and a half years, Karnataka has been 'drowning' in corruption, scandals, irregularities and allegations across departments. Ashoka said, "If I begin listing every case that emerged under your government, even 24 hours would not be enough."
"And the most tragic aspect of your administration is this: the unbearable pressure, corruption demands and administrative harassment under your government pushed several officers and contractors into extreme distress - including the suicide of Chandrasekharan which exposed the Valmiki Development Corporation scam - a sign of how deeply broken the system has become under your watch," he said.
Instead of fixing this hopeless environment, the government has tried to bury every complaint and silence every voice, he charged.
"Being foolish is forgivable, but being shameless in public life is definitely not."
"When your own ministers admit scams, when your own advisors certify Karnataka as No.1 in corruption, and when your own MLAs expose rackets inside your departments - clinging to power without accountability is not leadership. It is shamelessness in its purest form." PTI KSU
Earlier on Thursday Ashoka had demanded that the corruption case and allegations in the state against the Congress government be handed over to a CBI investigation, citing a reported statement by Upalokaykta Justice Veerappa alleging "63 per cent corruption", following which Siddaramaiah hit back at the BJP leader.
