A Congress led state
government has shunted out an honest IPS officer, DIG (Prisons) Roopa D Moudgil
for unearthing corruption in the Bengaluru Central Prison that how jailed
AIADMK leader VK Sasikala was getting undue favours by bribing officials. The
state administration has alleged that she exceeded her brief by talking to
media, even if, in public perception, she has blown the lid off a massive
corruption in state prisons which come directly under CM Siddaramaiah who also
holds the Home Ministry portfolio of the state.
The opposition BJP in the
state is crying hoarse over it and is preparing to raise the Sasikala prison
affair in the Parliament tomorrow. Karnataka BJP president Yeddyurappa likened
the treatment meted to her as 'punishment for honesty' and said he would raise
the issue with India's Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
But just a fortnight ago, a
BJP run state government in Uttar Pradesh had shunted out an honest IPS
officer, Bulandshahr DSP Shrestha Thakur, for fining a BJP worker who violated
traffic rules. BJP city president and other workers rushed to the spot and soon
there was an ugly verbal spat reeking arrogance of power as the BJP workers started
blaming police for asking for bribe. The DSP went ahead with her action and
jailed five BJP workers instead for creating obstruction in discharging government
duties. The incident had happened on June 22 and Shrestha Thakur was transferred
to Bahraich on July 1. The move was widely seen as a punishment transfer for
going against the workers of ruling party in the state.
Also, the Adityanath government's
order to transfer Saharanpur SSP Luv Kumar to Gautam Budh Nagar in April,
though claimed to be a compromise, was seen as punishment transfer as Raghav
Lakhanpal, BJP Lok Sabha MP from Saharanpur, had claimed that he would get the
SSP transferred terming him 'naalayak (worthless). Kumar was credited with
containing the communal fare-up and had booked Lakhanpal and other BJP MLAs and
workers for allegedly inciting rioting and arsoning. He had not allowed BJP
procession led by Lakhanpal, commemorating Ambedkar birth anniversary to pass
through a restricted route which had angered Lakhanpal.
In May, the AIADMK government
of E Palaniswamy in Tamil Nadu had transferred N K Senthamarai Kannan, North Zone IG, and J
Mutharasi, Kancheepuram SP. The government move was seen as reprimanding as
both of these officers were responsible for police action at the Golden Bay
Resort where VK Sasikala had rounded up AIADMK MLAs to keep her flock intact in
the AIADMK faction war between O Panneerselvam and Sasikala to corner the
ruling party of Tamil Nadu after J Jayalalithaa's death.
In November 2015, Fatehabad
SP Sangeeta Rani Kalia was transferred by another BJP run state government in
Haryana after heated verbal exchange with senior Haryana minister Anil Vij. After
a verbal spat on illicit liquor trade, the minister asked the SP to get out of
the meeting. The SP responded back by saying the minister could not humiliate
her like that and she was not going to leave. The minister then stormed out.
The next day, the SP was transferred.
The case of Durga Shakti
Nagpal, a young IAS officer from Uttar Pradesh, was a shocking incident and
this time it was a Samajwadi Pary (SP) government. She was posted as Sub-Divisional
Magistrate in Gautam Budh Nagar's Greater Noida. She was just 28 then but her
steely resolve saw effective crackdown on sand-mining mafia of the area many of
whom were very near to the power corridors of Lucknow.
Though she was suspended
under allegations of inciting communal tension by ordering razing down a mosque
boundary wall, it was seen as punishment for taking on sand mafia for which she
had won national praise. While she was being charge-sheeted, senior SP leaders
were busy making humiliating remarks against her. Senior SP leader Narender
Bhati was caught on camera bragging that he got her suspended within 41 hours.
Another UP minister called her a liar and CM Akhilesh Yadav himself termed her an
errant child. All this when Sonia Gandhi wrote a letter to Manmohan Singh to
ensure justice to her; Ram Jethmalani offered to defend her case; and UP and
Central IAS Officers Associations petitioned the UP government against her
suspension.
From Congress to BJP to
AIADMK to SP, these are just some of the incidents to show how political
parties treat bureaucrats. The message is clear that they all need just 'yes
men'. If someone dares to take a different line based on conscience, the person
should be ready to face consequences.
©SantoshChaubey