IPS officer Roopa Moudgil’s transfer by the Karnataka government after she alleged that special treatment was being meted out to AIADMK General Secretary Sasikala, has evoked strong reactions from India’s first woman IPS officer Kiran Bedi, who called it highly unacceptable.
In a Facebook post, the current Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry said, “I find this a little out of place for Roopa’s transfer because this was not the time for transfer but this was the time to get to the bottom of the problem. I find this very, very unacceptable because this is reflective of the system. You wanted to hide further exposure. It’s truly out of place. However, the only option that Roopa now has, is to take up the next assignment with the same kind of courage and conviction and go on regardless.”
On Monday, the Karnataka government transferred DIG (Prisons) Roopa Moudgil to the Road Safety and Traffic Department.
This move came days after she had set off alarm bells by claiming that Sasikala, who is lodged at the Parappana Agrahara jail in Bengaluru, was being accorded special treatment and was getting undue favours.
Just two days before her transfer, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had issued notices to both DIG Roopa Moudgil, and DG (Prisons) Satyanarayana Rao, with whom she was involved in a very public spat.
The Chief Minister had slammed both the DG and the DIG for the leaking of Roopa’s report to the media.
Last week, DIG Roopa Moudgil had submitted a report to the DG which claimed that Sasikala had bribed prison officials with Rs 2 crore and was getting special treatment in return.
Even as the government’s action of transferring her was met with opposition from various quarters, the government put out an official media release, where it justified its actions by accusing the two prison officials of violating service rules by approaching the media even after an investigation had been launched into the issue.
“This decision was taken in view of the Government’s commitment to public interest, truth and justice. However, the public conduct after the DIG’s first report, and despite the immediate institution of inquiry, has not been in the spirit of officers abiding by service rules and protocol,” the release stated.
Also Read: