In fresh embarrassment for the Congress government in Karnataka, a senior party functionary has courted a controversy with an audio clip of her purportedly pressuring a police official into releasing trucks seized for transporting sand during banned hours going viral.
In the clip of her telephonic conversation with Sub- Inspector Udappa Kattikar, KPCC women's wing president Lakshmi R Hebbalkar is heard questioning and allegedly trying to pressure him into releasing the trucks seized for transporting sand during banned hours in Belagavi district.
"Why did you stop the lorries despite them having passes?" she is heard asking him. Hebbalkar also questioned the official for "filing cases according to his will and bringing bad name to the government".
She is also heard asking Kattikar to meet her.
In a step to check illegal sand trade, Belagavi Deputy Commissioner has enforced a ban on movement of sand-laden trucks from 6 PM. Kattikar had seized 15 such trucks near Basavan Kudachi late night on July 1.
Police said seizure of trucks was brought to the notice of Deputy Commissioner, who ordered appropriate action. 14 trucks were released after scrutinising documents and one after a fine of Rs 50,000 was imposed.
In the clip, Kattikar, an SI at the Belagavi City Crime Investigation Bureau, is heard telling Hebbalkar that he was only carrying out the orders of the DC.
"I am discharging my duty, I don't have the intention to bring disrepute to anyone...And it is my duty to file cases against offenders," he is heard saying.
Hebbalkar, however, denied charges of intimidating the officer and said she had questioned him for restricting the sand-laden trucks despite the vehicles having proper documents.
She termed the incident as a "political conspiracy" to malign her name.
"I had a conversation with the officer on July 1, but the audio was released on July 16. There is political conspiracy if one factors in the timing of the release," she said.
The alleged political interference comes even as the Siddaramaiah government is battling an Opposition onslaught over the alleged suicide by Mangaluru DySP M K Ganapathy, which has led to disruption of assembly proceedings for the last one week.
BJP and JDS are demanding resignation of Minister K J George and action against two top police officials who have been named by Ganapathy in an interview to a local T V channel prior to his death for any extreme step that he might take.
