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Bengaluru: A high-level meeting chaired by Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa to tackle the Covid-19 situation, turned into an ugle battleground between Deputy Chief Minister Dr C.N. Ashwathnarayan and Bengaluru Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao Friday.

Ashwathnarayan alleged that Rao had been giving special preference to certain e-commerce companies in handing out curfew passes during the national lockdown while making it difficult for small-time traders to operate.

He further alleged that Rao had been freely issuing the passes to food and grocery delivery companies and received kickbacks from them.

A teary-eyed Rao is said to have defended himself stating that the minister’s allegations were and offered to resign immediately to prove his innocence.

On Wednesday, Rao had held a meeting with online, e-commerce, food, medicine, groceries, fruits, meat and vegetables aggregators after there were several complaints of police atrocities against delivery agents.

Also read: Coronavirus: Latest updates on cases in India, all you need to know about COVID-19

Commissioner walks out of meeting

Sources at the meeting said that a rather emotional police commissioner tried to explain that the allegations were not true but the deputy chief minister insisted that “he knew very well what was happening”. He also instructed Rao that if one service provider has been given permission to operate, then all other others also should be given the same clearance.

The outburst by the Deputy CM, sources said, shocked those present in the meeting, which included cabinet ministers and senior IAS and IPS officers. Chief Minister Yediyurappa, sources said, requested Ashwathnarayan to stop and also tried to pacify Rao. But the city’s top police officer walked out of the meeting.

Speaking to ThePrint, a senior police officer and close associate of the commissioner said the incident has left Rao extremely upset.

“It is not just an insult to his post and the uniform, but one to the 20,000 young officers working tirelessly day and night in the police department during this time of crisis. It was an unfair statement,” the officer said.

The deputy chief minister did not respond to calls from ThePrint. This copy will be updated when he does.

Also read: OPDs shut, surgeries put off: Private hospitals write to finance minister for emergency fund

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