The public spat between two top officers in the Karnataka government – IPS officer Roopa Moudgil and IAS officer Rohini Sindhuri – has caused much embarrassment for the BJP government in the state. The development has caused such a row that even the Prime Minister’s office has intervened and hauled up Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. A source close to the PMO said that the Chief Minister’s inaction in the matter has been heavily criticised. The source said that seniors from the PMO sought to know why Bommai failed to prevent this all-out public fight even though he was aware of the growing animosity between the two officers. He was reprimanded for not taking the issue seriously and nipping it in the bud.
In addition to this, the CM’s silence on the issue for over 24 hours after the fight in public domain was questioned. He was asked to resolve this issue at the earliest to ensure a message is sent to other officers and also salvage the image of the government. After being pulled up, the CM has reportedly instructed the Karnataka Chief Secretary to issue a warning to the two officers and also seek a written explanation from them. Based on their response, the Chief Secretary has been asked to initiate disciplinary action against them in accordance with service rules.
Roopa and Rohini engaged in a public fight with each other, with accusations of corruption and of sending personal pictures to other IAS officers. It started after photographs of Rohini Sindhuri, currently serving as the Commissioner of Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowment Department, and JD(S) MLA from Mysuru’s Krishnaraja Nagara, Sa Ra Mahesh, sitting together in a restaurant emerged.
When the photographs emerged, Roopa Moudgil, currently serving as the Managing Director of the Karnataka Handicrafts Development Corporation, took to social media to question why an officer was meeting a politician and whether a compromise was being struck. This has now degenerated into a full-blown fight between the two officers, with Rohini alleging that it was a false, personal vilification campaign. Roopa meanwhile has been relentlessly posting on her social media. She has posted pictures of Rohini and alleged that those pictures were sent by Rohini to male officers. She has also listed out 20 allegations against Rohini including previous spats she had with other officers and allegations of corruption.
Meanwhile, Roopa has written to the Chief Secretary, listing out several corruption allegations against Rohini and asking why no action has been taken against her so far.
“The fact that Hon’ble MLA, Sri Sa Ra Mahesh, on the floor of the House stated that she came for compromise on her issues, I urge that action be taken against Rohini Sindhuri, IAS for violating Service Conduct Rules. There is no Rule that permits for any such kind of compromise for her official acts done by her as Deputy Commissioner of the District (sic),” Roopa’s letter reads.