Bengaluru, Jan 16: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said his government has decided to award silver medal to all police personnel to commemorate the golden jubilee of the renaming of the state as Karnataka.

The Chief Minister also announced creation of 8 additional deputy commissioner of police positions in Bengaluru.

"We are celebrating golden jubilee of the naming of our state as Karnataka. The state police too got its name of Karnataka police, which was previously known as Mysore police. This should be celebrated," he told reporters after attending the senior police officers' annual conference here.

The CM noted that the police have demanded a 'Suvarna Mahotsava Bhavan' which is under consideraton.

"We have also decided to give silver medal to all the policemen to celebrate 50 years of the naming of state as Karnataka."

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Siddaramaiah also announced increasing the medical allowance for police from Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500 per month.

Highlighting the measures taken to improve policing in the city, he said, "There will be eight additional DCPs in Bengaluru just as there are additional SPs in districts."

The Chief Minister further said instructions have been given to make Karnataka a drug free state. In this connection, he said the police seized Rs 27 crore worth drugs this year. Similarly, directions were given to curb cyber crime.

Emphasising on improvement of law and order in the state, Siddaramaiah said a good law and order attracts good investments, which eventually boosts employment and economy.

Along with that, he laid stress on providing security to the weaker section of the society including women, SC/ST, children and home alone people.

The Chief Minister said he has directed the police department to improve the conviction rate in the state.

"Crime decreases with the rise in conviction rate. Our conviction rate should be above the national average. If there is delay in filing charge sheet after the investigation, conviction rate comes down."

"In the cases pertaining to atrocities on women, SC/ST, and children, the charge sheet should be filed within 60 days before the court," he added.

In view of impending Lok Sabha elections, the Chief Minister asked police officers to identify and monitor rowdies and habitual offenders.

To a question on growing moral policing, the Chief Minister said, "So far as moral policing is concerned, our government will not allow anybody to take law into their hands. We will not tolerate, we will punish them in accordance with the law."

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Lucknow (PTI): The Uttar Pradesh Congress on Wednesday staged a statewide protest demanding a fair and transparent inquiry into the FIR lodged against Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati and those who filed the complaint against him.

In a statement issued here, the party said memorandums addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi were submitted through district magistrates in all districts of the state.

Uttar Pradesh Congress spokesperson Manish Hindvi told PTI that the memorandums were handed over through the district administration in all 75 districts.

In the memorandum, the party alleged that Saraswati and his disciples were "unnecessarily harassed and humiliated" by police on the occasion of Amavasya and were prevented from taking a ritual bath (at the Magh Mela). It further alleged that some disciples were manhandled and taken to a police station.

The memorandum also claimed that an FIR was later registered against Saraswati, his disciple Swami Mukundanand Brahmachari and several unidentified persons in a sexual harassment case. It termed the case a "conspiracy" aimed at tarnishing the seer's reputation.

Citing Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution, the memorandum stated that these provisions guarantee religious freedom and the right of religious denominations to manage their own affairs.

It described the position of shankaracharya held by Saraswati as "one of the highest spiritual posts in Sanatan tradition" and alleged that the entire episode appeared to have been "orchestrated in a planned manner".

"We request that the background of the persons who got the FIR registered be investigated in a transparent manner by a retired high court judge and strict action be taken against them," the memorandum said.

It also sought a "fair and transparent probe" into the allegations levelled against Saraswati so that the truth could be established.

Earlier, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai had told reporters in Varanasi after meeting Saraswati that the party stood firmly with him.

The Congress said it would continue to press for an impartial inquiry into the entire episode.

On February 21, an FIR was lodged in Prayagraj against Saraswati and his disciple Mukundanand Brahmachari on charges of sexually abusing two persons, including a minor, over the past year at a gurukul and religious congregations, including the recently concluded Magh Mela.

Days after he was booked, Saraswati had said on Monday that he would not oppose his arrest and asserted that the "fabricated story" would be exposed sooner or later.

At a press conference on Wednesday, Saraswati alleged that criminals rule in Uttar Pradesh, level allegations and influence investigations, as he denied having any contact with the two persons for whose alleged sexual abuse he has been booked.