Karnataka police chief orders integrity checks amid misconduct cases
Bengaluru (PTI): In response to a surge in cases involving police personnel in robbery, theft and fraud, Karnataka DG&IGP M A Saleem has directed all police units to conduct regular background checks, integrity assessments and counselling to prevent misconduct in the force.
He warned that any police officer or staff member found engaging in criminal acts will face the "most severe" disciplinary action.
In a circular dated December 5 issued to all SPs, zonal heads, commissioners, the top cop stated that such involvement of police personnel in criminal or illegal activities is completely unacceptable.
He cited recent incidents, including the Davangere case, where two police sub-inspectors were arrested for allegedly robbing a gold merchant after posing as IG Squad officers, and the Bengaluru case in which a Govindpura police constable was held for his role in a meticulously planned, high-value cash robbery in collusion with a former cash management firm employee.
"These incidents bring shame to the force, damage public confidence, and cast doubt on the integrity of the entire law enforcement machinery," he said.
According to the circular, DG&IGP Saleem has directed the unit officers to conduct regular background checks and integrity assessments of all subordinate officers and staff without fail.
He has instructed the department to organise awareness sessions and training programmes on ethical conduct, legal responsibilities, and the consequences of corruption and misconduct.
"Immediately report to Police Headquarters any information regarding illegal activities or criminal behaviour by any police officer or employee," it stated.
The unit officers have been instructed to provide guidance and counselling programmes to address issues related to low morale, work-related stress, and other factors that may contribute to ethical lapses.
The police chief has asked the unit officers to strictly enforce the existing Code of Conduct and ensure that no deviations are tolerated under any circumstance.
"Failure of Unit Officers to proactively and fully implement these measures will be treated as gross negligence and will attract departmental disciplinary action. Any compromise with the dignity, honour, or integrity of the police department is unacceptable," the circular stated.
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Indigo flights chaos: SCR to run special trains to clear passenger rush
Hyderabad (PTI): The South Central Railway on Saturday announced that it would run four special trains to manage the surge in passengers resulting from the large-scale cancellation of IndiGo flights here.
The move comes as flyers face significant disruption and long queues at the airport due to the cancellation.
A press release from the SCR said it is running the special trains to clear the extra rush of passengers to Chennai, Mumbai and Shalimar (Kolkata) from Hyderabad today.
Meanwhile, as many as 43 outbound Indigo flights were cancelled from here on Saturday, Rajiv Gandhi International Airport sources said.
Similarly, 26 incoming flights are also likely to be cancelled during the day, they said.
The flight cancellations drew ire from passengers, who thronged the IndiGo counters at the airport demanding to know the exact situation.
“This is utter nonsense! Digiyatra done, message received that departure has been rescheduled ahead of the scheduled departure and now upon arriving at Hyderabad airport coming to know at the security checkpoint that Indigo flight is cancelled,” Tarun Singha, former Ministry of Defence spokesperson said in a post on X.
“But the thing is if you don’t shout they do nothing. Example at Hyderabad Airport, there was no staff no flight information for an hour. Then a fellow passenger started shouting on mic and an Indigo staff appeared finally,” a netizen said in a post.
On Friday, when IndiGo cancelled over 1,000 flights from across airports, its CEO Pieter Elbers apologised in a video message for the major inconvenience caused to passengers due to the disruptions.
In the one-way video communication, Elbers also said that the airline was expecting fewer than 1,000 flights on Saturday.
