IAS officer's resignation takes political hue, Congress protests
Bengaluru, Sept 6: The resignation of IAS officer and Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner (DC) S Sasikanth Senthil on Friday took on a political colour with Congress leaders seeking to target the BJP-led NDA government.
Congress leaders, including Legislative Council member Ivan D'Souza and workers staged a protest in Mangaluru against Senthil quitting from the Indian Administrative Service.
Veteran Congress leader M Mallikarjun Kharge termed the resignation as an "indicator of the way India is moving".
"Democratic values are in danger and things are not happening according to the constitutional provisions.
Hence,there is dejection.
These IAS officers function directly come under the Central government. That's the reason that he(Senthil) has resigned," Kharge claimed while talking to reporters here.
He also alleged that institutions like the Income Tax, Central Bureau of Investigation, Central Vigilance Commission and the judiciary were losing their "independence" due to the interference of the central government.
BJP leader and Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister K S Eshwarappa sought "clarity" from Senthil on his resignation.
"I want to ask (from the officer) in clear terms, make your intentions clear.Please don't give confusing statements," Eshwarappa told reporters when his reaction was sought.
"If the officers do not cite a clear reason, then it will lead to chaos and confusion across the state",Eshwarappa said, adding, it would also damage the reputation of the officer.
In a letter to his 'friends', Senthil confirmed that he had tendered his resignation from IAS and clarified that the decision was purely a personal one.
"I have taken this decision as I feel that it is unethical for me to continue as a civil servant in the government when the fundamental building blocks of our diverse democracy are being compromised in an unprecedented manner,'' he said.
Senthil also said he feels strongly that the coming days will present extremely difficult challenges to the basic fabric of the nation and that he would be better off outside the IAS to continue with his work at making life better for all.
"It simply cannot be business as usual anymore," he remarked.
Senthil said his decision to resign was in no way connected to anyone or any event in his current profile as the Deputy Commissioner of Dakshina Kannada district.
"The people and the public representatives of DK (Dakshina Kannada) have been extremely kind to me and I owe an apology to them for discontinuing the job vested on me midway," he said in the letter.
Senthil, who belongs to Tamil Nadu, is a 2009 batch IAS officer.
He was made Deputy Commissioner of Dakshina Kannada in 2017.
He previously served as Deputy Commissioner in other parts of the state, including Raichur.
The post of deputy commissioner is known as District Collector in some other parts of the country.
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11 arrested for kidnap, assault of Kannada film director; actor among accused
Bengaluru (PTI): Eleven people, among them a woman, were arrested for allegedly kidnapping and brutally assaulting a Kannada film director and robbing him of gold ornaments and cash, police said on Thursday.
The matter came to light after he filed a complaint at Adugodi police station on February 11, they said.
Among those arrested is a female actor named Aishwarya, who is also a social media influencer, police added.
According to police, in his complaint, T A Anish stated that he had directed a new film titled 'Jeevanada Bhashe', which is yet to be released.
An investor in the film, along with another associate working with him, developed a financial dispute with Anish.
About two months ago, the complainant moved from Bengaluru to Mumbai.
During this period, he informed a female actor friend residing in Indiranagar, Bengaluru, that he was planning to sell his car. The accused came to know of this through the actress and told the complainant they would help him sell the vehicle, a senior police officer said.
On February 9, they called him from Mumbai to Bengaluru. Thereafter, the accused, along with others, asked the complainant to come to a location within the limits of Adugodi police station, he said.
On the same night, they allegedly kidnapped him in a car and took him to a house within the jurisdiction of Byadarahalli police station, where they wrongfully confined him.
Five to six persons then allegedly assaulted him with cricket stumps and hockey sticks and robbed him of the gold ornaments he was wearing and Rs 30,000 in cash, police said.
Later, they took him by car to Mandaragiri Hill near Panditanahalli in Tumakuru district, where two more persons joined them and allegedly assaulted him again, police said.
Based on the complaint, a case of kidnapping and assault was registered at Adugodi police station.
“During the investigation, police pursued multiple angles and secured a total of 11 accused, including one woman, involved in the crime,” the officer said.
Police also seized six mobile phones used in the offence, gold ornaments, a car and cash from the accused.
The accused were produced in a court, which remanded them to custody, police said, adding that further investigation is underway.
