Bengaluru, March 19 The Karnataka Police Department on Wednesday suspended five police officers on charges of playing cards inside the Wadi police station in Chittapur taluk of Kalaburagi district after the video of their act went viral on social media.
The suspended police officers were identified as Assistant Sub-Inspector Mohammad Mia, Head Constables Nagaraj, Saibanna, Imam, and Constable Nagabhushan.
The suspension orders are issued by Kalaburagi SP Addur Srinivasulu. The SP has also issued a notice to SI Tirumalesh seeking an explanation regarding the incident.
The suspended officers are allegedly ganged up on the first floor of the police station during duty hours to play cards. Two of the police officers were seen playing cards in their uniforms. The seven-second video has created outrage among the public and proved to be an embarrassment for the Congress government in Karnataka as it surfaced during the ongoing Assembly session.
The incident took place in the constituency of RDPR, IT and BT Minister Priyank Kharge, who represents the Chittapur seat and is the in-charge minister of Kalaburagi.
Reacting to the development, Minister Kharge, in a statement, said: "Following the viral video showing police personnel engaged in gambling at the Wadi police station in Kalaburagi district, the concerned officers have been suspended, and a notice has been issued to the station's Sub-Inspector."
The minister stated that as soon as the video of police officers playing the gambling game 'ispit' (Andar Bahar) at Wadi police station came to his attention, he directed the district Superintendent of Police to conduct an inquiry and take necessary action. Upon investigation, it was revealed that the incident had occurred several months ago, as per the statement.
"Our government will not tolerate any disciplinary violations by department staff or officials. There is no room for negligence in public service and law enforcement," Kharge asserted.
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