Deputy CM D K Shivakumar accused the police top brass of allowing saffronisation of the unit in certain parts of the state.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar came down heavily on the top brass of the state police during a meeting with senior police officials in Bengaluru Tuesday.
“There will be no moral policing anymore. We will put an end to this,” Siddaramaiah said after the meeting. “The police must not look at crimes through the prism of this religion or that religion. All people must be viewed equally and must be given equal protection,” the chief minister added.
“What we have told the police is that we need to have a people-friendly administration. The police have to be people friendly and, secondly, they must behave in a courteous manner with people who come to the police station,” he said.
The chief minister also said the responsibility for checking illegal activities will also vest on respective deputy commissioners and not just police inspectors.
“If there is a crime in any police station limits then it is the responsibility of not just the local inspector but also the deputy commissioner of police in the range. Whatever illegal activities occur in a region whether it is rowdyism, gambling… and other illegal activities, the officers will also be held responsible,” the Karnataka CM said.
Siddaramaiah also asked police officers to focus on easing traffic problems in Bengaluru and to control cybercrimes in the state.
He reportedly told officials to take action against social media posts that try to disturb communal harmony and are provocative in nature. “We will encourage those who work well and we will take action without hesitation against dereliction of duty,” he warned.
Deputy CM D K Shivakumar accused the police top brass of allowing saffronisation of the unit in certain parts of the state and failing to take action even when a BJP minister gave a call to “finish off” Siddaramaiah just like Tipu Sultan.
“There will be no room for the saffronisation of the police department in our regime. There have been instances in Mangaluru, Vijayapura, and Bagalkot, where policemen have posed in saffron attire and insulted the police department. If you have respect for the country, you must wear the national flag,” Shivakumar said at the meeting.
“If an ADGP is involved in the manipulation of answer scripts in the police sub-inspector recruitment exam, then one can see the depths to which the police department has fallen. The Karnataka Police have a standing in the country and if that has fallen then it is the police department itself that is responsible,” Shivakumar is reported to have said.