Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his trusted lieutenant, Labour Minister PT Parameshwara Naik, seem worried these days as a lady police officer, who was transferred several times in the past six months, has resigned in haste and is threatening to reveal damaging information relating to the minister on Facebook.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Anupama Shenoy, who was twice transferred by the Congress government following her showdown with Naik this year, had remained incommunicado for the last four days after tendering her resignation.



IF I'M GOING DOWN I'LL TAKE YOU ALONG

The government is trying in vain to convince her to withdraw the resignation in the wake of intense public criticism. However, Anupama, who is not reachable to her parents too, is posting interesting messages on her Facebook account such as "I have resigned, now minister will you?" Please wait, I will release the CD post midnight."

Her Facebook posts have sent the Congress leaders in a tizzy while the police are trying to verify whether the account is being actually handled by her or someone else. In some of her posts, the officer indicates the involvement of a woman with the minister but just stops short of revealing it.

Naik, who is at the receiving end, meanwhile is trying to put up a brave front on the issue. "How can I comment on what she is posting on Facebook? We are not even sure if the Facebook account belongs to her," he told the media.

Apparently, Anupama was upset with the interference of the minister in her routine work in the Ballari district of which Naik is incharge.

In January, Naik was caught on camera proudly claiming that he got Anupama transferred, as she did not respond properly to his phone calls. Last week, the minister reportedly interfered with her work when she tried to take on the liquor lobby prompting her to tender her resignation.

ALARMING SITUATION

However, Anupama, who is the Kudligi DSP, has not revealed the reason behind her resignation officially so far.

A 2010 batch Karnataka cadre officer, Anupama was transferred to Indi Division in Vijayapura district from Ballari on January 18 following her fall-out with the minister.

However, in February the government transferred her back to Kudgli following massive public outcry. During June first week, she had ordered the preventive custody of three persons, who had allegedly encroached upon land belonging to Ambedkar Bhavan. But Naik allegedly asked her to drop the case.

Naik, however, is maintaining that he was neither involved in the transfer of the officer nor intervened in the latest case. The issue has dented the image of the Congress government, which had to handle snap stirs by the police and the government staff last week. In an effort to put an end to the issue, the government dispatched a police team to her home in coastal Karnataka, but her parents are clueless about her whereabouts.

Former CM and Karnataka BJP chief BS Yeddyurappa termed the situation alarming for government servants. "The working atmosphere is so bad within the government that honest officers are quitting service. The government should be ashamed of what the minister has done," he said.

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