Karnataka - Bellary   

Bellary police feel the heat

BELLARY: Is Bellary jinxed as far as the police hierarchy is concerned? It appears so, as top officials of the department are facing problems mainly owing to the political situation here. At least two Superintendents of Police have been transferred on charges of not acting impartially.

The latest is Amrit Paul, who was unceremoniously transferred on the day before polling according to the recommendations of the Election Commission.

He was declared “unable to handle the situation impartially.” A day before polling, former Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party candidate for Bellary (rural) Assembly constituency B. Sriramulu, allegedly assaulted a Congress worker. The police immediately swung into action. As the Congress worker Nani, who suffered from severe head injuries and was admitted to hospital here, was, according to the doctor, not in a position to give a statement, the police, based on the version of the investigating team attached to Mr. Sriramulu, registered a case of attempt-to-murder against the former Minister.

Efforts made by the police to arrest Mr. Sriramulu from the house of Janardhan Reddy, BJP MLC, went in vain, as according to sources in the department, he managed to escape and did not surface throughout the day. Meanwhile, the police summoned Mr. Reddy for questioning.

The Election Commission had charged the police with failing to arrest Mr. Sriramulu, despite him being provided “Y” category security. There were reports that Mr. Sriramulu was hiding in Obulapuram, a village located on the border of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. He surfaced only after obtaining anticipatory bail from the court.

Enquiries revealed that Mr. Amrit Paul took responsibility of the whole episode, and refused to initiate action against his subordinates.

Mr. Amrit Paul’s predecessor Pankaj Kumar Thakur, who was known as an upright and efficient officer, was also a victim of politics here. Mr. Thakur was transferred during the Janata Dal (Secular)-BJP coalition government, as he had booked cases against M.P. Ravi, son of the then Home Minister M.P. Prakash and N. Suryanarayan Reddy, the former Kurgodu MLA, in a mining-related incident. The BJP staged a dharna urging the Government to cancel the transfer orders, but Janata Dal (S) supporters protested against its revocation.

Police officers in the district reportedly planned to boycott poll-related duties in protest against the removal of Mr. Amrit Paul. However, they were forced to change their plans.

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Bellary police feel the heat

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