Corruption in Cong govt, says Union Minister after 2 K'taka cops seek bribe from grieving father

Bengaluru, Oct 31 Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje on Friday attacked the Siddaramaiah government after a grieving father said that he was forced to pay bribes to an ambulance driver, police, crematorium staff, and civic officials while mourning the death of his only daughter.

The Karnataka Police Department has suspended two cops in this regard.

The incident was reported from Bengaluru, and the father’s social media post raised serious concerns.

Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara, reacting to the incident, stated that if the charges are proved, the suspended officers would be dismissed from service. Union Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Labour & Employment Shobha Karandlaje, referring to the incident, criticised the Congress government over what she described as rampant corruption.

Karandlaje charged, “Recruitments are done on the basis of bribes. The officers then indulge in corruption to recover their investment. Everything is happening under the nose of the Chief Minister. CM Siddaramaiah’s son, Yathindra Siddaramaiah, himself faces allegations of collecting huge sums of money for postings.”

“Don’t even ask about Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar. At his office and residence, if anyone wants to get their files cleared, they have to pay. Others can’t even enter. This is the situation in Karnataka,” she alleged.

Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh stated on Friday that a team led by the ACP of the Cyber Economic and Narcotics (CEN) wing is investigating the matter. “Two police officers have been suspended. The information was received through a social media post, and a preliminary investigation was conducted into the conduct of the police officers. A police sub-inspector and another staff member have been suspended. Further investigation is underway,” he said.

Home Minister Parameshwara said, “Whether it is the police department or any other government department, we take cases of bribery seriously. If we receive any such information, whether it involves Rs 1,000 or Rs 5,000, we will not tolerate it. Accordingly, as soon as this case came to light, immediate action was taken.”

“The staffers are suspended, a departmental inquiry is being conducted, and once the charges are proved, they will either be suspended or dismissed from service. If such incidents come to the notice of senior officials, strict action will be taken,” he added.

“I have given standing instructions on this matter. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has also emphasised the same during official meetings. We will not encourage such behaviour. Directions have already been issued to the DGP and IGP,” Parameshwara said.

Earlier, a shocking incident had come to light in Bengaluru, where money was allegedly demanded to conduct a post-mortem on a deceased young woman. The 64-year-old grieving father, already devastated by his daughter’s death, was subjected to demands for bribes. Distressed by this, he shared a Facebook post detailing his harrowing experience.

Akshaya, the daughter of Shivakumar, a retired CFO of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, died on September 18 due to a brain haemorrhage. Upon hearing the news, her parents came from Mumbai to Bengaluru. The ambulance driver allegedly charged Rs 2,000 more than the fixed rate of Rs 5,000 for transporting the body from Kasuvinahalli to Koramangala Hospital.

During the post-mortem process, the police reportedly behaved rudely while demanding money.

Father Shivakumar shared on social media X, “Recently, my only child passed away at the age of 34. The amount of open bribery by the ambulance, police for filing the FIR and post-mortem report, crematorium for giving the receipt, and the BBMP office for the death certificate — I paid it all. The inspector of Bellandur Police Station was so arrogant, with no empathy for a father who lost his only child. Very sad state. I had money, so I paid — but what will the poor do?”

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