'Send Rao, Roopa on leave to ensure fair probe'

Bengaluru, Jul 15: JD(S) state president H D Kumara-swamy on Friday urged the state government send DGP (Prisons) H N Sathyanarayana Rao and DIG (Prisons) D Roopa on leave to ensure an impartial probe into charges of corruption in Bengaluru Central Prison at Parappana Agrahara.

At a press conference in Bengaluru, Kumaraswamy said the truth pertaining to the charges made by Roopa in her report that Rs 2 crore had changed hands to provide special services to AIADMK leader V K Sasikala, a convict in a disproportionate case, will come out only if the two officers are sent on leave.

He wondered why the government had not handed over the case to the Anti-Corruption Bureau.

“The probe should be to unearth the truth and not hush up the case. Probes ordered by the state government in the single-digit lottery case and cricket betting case have led nowhere,” Kumaraswamy said.

The former chief minister said that according to his information, besides payment of Rs 2 crore to the prison officials, a monthly sum of Rs 10 lakh had also been promised. The episode had once again brought to the fore the high level of corruption in the administration and that the government has no control over senior officials in the state, he charged.

Kumaraswamy took exception to the state government’s move not to allow him take a padayatra from Mangaluru to Kalladka on Saturday.

The JD(S) leader also took potshots at Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

“At public meetings, Siddaramaiah has been repeatedly swearing on his father that neither Yeddyurappa nor I can become chief minister again. Why bring father into such matters? Let him first win from his constituency in the Assembly polls. I can give it in writing on a stamp paper that he will not emerge victorious in polls,” Kumaraswamy said.

In another part of Bengaluru, BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa termed as “foolish” Siddaramaiah challenging him to participate in a public debate on the achievements of the Congress government in the state and the Narendra Modi government at the Centre.

“Siddaramaiah is the only chief minister in the country speaking lightly about Modi. I refuse to accept such foolish challenge,” he said.