State intelligence chief, Kempaiah face Siddaramaiah’s wrath

State intelligence chief, Kempaiah face Siddaramaiah’s wrath

Bengaluru/Mysuru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is learnt to have taken retired IPS officer and advisor to Home Minister Kempaiah and Director General of Police (Intelligence) M N Reddi to task for not properly handling the row over irregularities at Bengaluru Central Prison at Parappana Agrahara.

Soon after his arrival in Bengaluru from Mysuru on Sunday, the chief minister, who also holds the Home portfolio, is learnt to have summoned both Kempaiah and Reddi to his official residence. He expressed dissatisfaction over the way the prison issue has been handled by the Home department.

The tussle between Director General of Police (Prisons) H N Sathayanarayana Rao and Deputy Inspector General of Police (Prisons) D Roopa has caused a lot of embarrassment to the state government. Details of Roopa’s reports on alleged irregularities have been leaked to the media despite strict warning. The Opposition may use the issue as a weapon against the government in the next Assembly elections, Siddaramaiah is learnt to have said and sought to know the steps taken by Kempaiah and Reddi to contain the damage to the government.

Roopa, who had recently charged the prison authorities, including Rao, with taking Rs 2 crore bribe to provide special treatment to AIADMK (Amma) leader V K Sasikala, on Saturday accused the prison authorities of destroying evidences of wrong-doings that she had documented in her first report. The government has already formed a committee headed by retired IAS officer Vinay Kumar to probe Roopa’s charges.

Siddaramaiah also directed Kempaiah and Reddi to ensure law and order in Dakshina Kannada district, which witnessed incidents of communal violence recently.

Earlier in the day, Siddaramaiah told reporters in Mysuru that he has ordered a probe into the charge of ‘destruction of evidence’ made by Roopa.

Replying to a query by reporters on the irregularities in the Bengaluru Central Prison and the charges levelled by Roopa, the chief minister said a detailed probe has been ordered in this connection. “I have also ordered a probe into allegations of destruction of evidence made by Roopa,” he said while talking to reporters at his TK Layout residence

The state government will not spare any officer indulging in misconduct. Suitable action will be taken against the officials, if they are found guilty, the chief minister warned.

Cabinet expansion

To a query, Siddaramaiah said that he would decide on expanding his Cabinet after consulting the Congress high command.

He said he will be visiting Delhi soon and meet the party high command in this regard. There are three vacancies in the Cabinet following the resignation of Home Minister G Parameshwara and Excise minister H Y Meti and the death of Cooperation minister H S Mahadeva Prasad.