Home Minister rules out Police Commissioner’s transfer; Chief Minister takes stock of developments
Even as Additional Director-General of Police (KSRP) P. Ravindranath on Thursday filed a complaint against Police Commissioner Raghavendra Auradkar under the Prevention of Atrocities Act, Home Minister K.J. George said that there was no proposal before the State government to replace Mr. Auradkar.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at the latter’s home office, “Krishna” here, Mr. George said that Dr. Ravindranath, who has been transferred, would be given a new posting on Friday.
The two senior IPS officials are engaged in a no-holds barred public sparring ever since the incident at a coffee shop on Cunningham Road involving Dr. Ravindranath was reported.
“Mr Auradkar will not be transferred now. He has not even completed one year in office,” Mr. George said and added that the Chief Minister has taken stock of the developments in the last couple of days.
Police officials should not exhibit their differences in public and they should maintain discipline. “If any police official has any problem, they should come to me or the D-G and I-GP and discuss them,” he said. Levelling charges against one another in public would do no good to the morale of the lower ranks, he said.
Meanwhile, Dr. Ravindranath has, in his complaint to the Cubbon Park Police, named Mr. Auradkar, Deputy Commissioner of Police B.R. Ravikanthe Gowda and the Sub-Inspector of Police, High Grounds, M.S. Ravi.
In his complaint, Dr. Ravindranath said that Mr. Auradkar had treated him shabbily when he went to meet him “which looked like he practiced untouchability”.
“On Wednesday, I went to meet him with a request to get myself arrested, so that I can record my version of the statement in the case,” he said. Mr. Auradkar said that he was not the investigating officer and told me that he would report the matter to the D-G and I-GP. “When I said that I would come with him, he avoided me and went in a car without allowing me to go with him,” Dr. Ravindranath said.
Dr. Ravindranath has, in the complaint, alleged that the three officers had fabricated an FIR (CC No 166/14) despite the reluctance of the complainant to pursue the case. “They forced her to file an FIR under Sections 354 and 506 of the IPC, to implicate me in a false case,” he alleged
