B'luru cops write to Prez, allege harassment by senior

Bengaluru, March 27 (IANS) In a major embarrassment to the Karnataka Police, a letter allegedly written by the personnel attached to the Subramanyanagar police station in Bengaluru to President Droupadi Murmu went viral on social media on Monday.

The nine-page letter claims that it is written by the policemen attached to the Subramanyanagar police station, who are victims of harassment. The letter alleges that the police inspector in-charge Sharana Gowda is torturing the lower rung officers and staff to mint money and give it to him.

In the letter, the staff members have alleged that whenever they approached the police inspector for leaves, he told them they could only get leaves if they were able to mint money for him through corruption and bribes. Whoever gives money to him is being given leaves and other facilities.

The beat police have to shell out Rs 5,000 bribe to him to get the beat vehicles (two-wheelers) allocated to them. The police inspector brings his wife to the station and keeps on chatting with her in the chamber, the letter alleges.

The letter further charges that the police inspector gets his children dropped to the swimming pool in department vehicles. The inspector is turning a total blind eye towards the staff who do not collect money for him.

Whenever, the women staff approached him for leaves during the menstrual cycle, the inspector asks them to resign and go home. The inspector also misbehaves with them and invites them home. In the meetings, the inspector openly declares that he had shelled out Rs 25 lakh for his posting and he is not here to listen to the woes of the staff members, the letter mentioned.

One suicide attempt by the police station staff had taken place due to torture. The letter has become viral and raises questions on corruption with the department and bribes for postings. Fingers are being pointed at the ruling BJP government.

The letter gives details of fixed bribe amounts to various bars, malls and pubs. The letter also alleges that in the police station Rs 15,000 is charged to register an FIR on two-wheeler theft and Rs 5,000 for laptop theft.

The letter further mentioned about a suicide case of a youth who was detained in a false theft case and forced to shell out Rs 3 lakh. After the suicide, the inspector allegedly spend Rs 15 lakh to hush up the case.

The victim police staff have appealed to the President to transfer them en masse to another police station.