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Bengaluru, Oct 31 (IANS) Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje on Friday attacked the Siddaramaiah government after a grieving father said he was forced to pay bribes to an ambulance driver, police, crematorium staff and civic officials while mourning the death of his only daughter.
Karnataka Police Department has suspended two policemen in this case.
The incident came to light from Bengaluru and the father’s social media post has raised serious concerns.
Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara, reacting to the incident, said that if the allegations are proved, the suspended officers will be dismissed from service. Referring to this incident, Union Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Labor and Employment Shobha Karandlaje criticized the Congress government and termed it as corruption on a large scale.
Karandlaje alleged, “Recruitments are made on the basis of bribes. Officials then indulge in corruption to recover their investments. Everything is happening right under the nose of the Chief Minister. CM Siddaramaiah’s son Yatindra Siddaramaiah himself is facing allegations of collecting huge sums of money for postings.”
“Don’t even ask about Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar. At his office and residence, if anyone wants to get their files cleared, they have to pay. Others cannot even enter. This is the situation in Karnataka,” he alleged.
Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh on Friday said a team led by an ACP of the Cyber Economics and Narcotics (CEN) wing is investigating the case. “Two police officers have been suspended. The information was received through a social media post and a preliminary inquiry was conducted into the conduct of the police officers. A police sub-inspector and another staff member have been suspended. Further investigation is underway,” he said.
Home Minister Parameshwara said, “Whether it is the police department or any other government department, we take bribery cases seriously. If we get any such information, whether it is related to Rs 1,000 or Rs 5,000, we will not tolerate it. Accordingly, as soon as this matter came to light, immediate action was taken.”
“The employees have been suspended, a departmental inquiry is being conducted and if the allegations are proved, they will either be suspended or dismissed from service. If such incidents come to the notice of senior officers, strict action will be taken,” he said.
Parameshwara said, “I have given standing instructions on this matter. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has also emphasized this during official meetings. We will not encourage such behaviour. Instructions have already been issued to the DGP and IGP.”
Earlier, a shocking incident had come to light in Bengaluru, where money was allegedly demanded for conducting the post-mortem of a dead girl. The 64-year-old grieving father, already devastated by his daughter’s death, was subjected to demands for bribes. Troubled by this, he shared a Facebook post and described his horrifying experience in detail.
Akshay, daughter of retired Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited CFO Shivkumar, died on September 18 due to brain hemorrhage. Hearing the news, his parents came to Bengaluru from Mumbai. The ambulance driver allegedly charged Rs 2,000 more than the fixed rate of Rs 5,000 to transport the body from Kasuvinahalli to Koramangala Hospital.
During the post-mortem process, the police allegedly behaved rudely and demanded money.
Father Shivakumar shared on social media Gave. Very sad situation. I had money, so I paid – but what will the poor do?”
–IANS
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