The transfer of D. Roopa from the Prisons Department just days after she submitted two reports alleging irregularities in Bengaluru central prison has sparked a debate over the use of transfer “as a tool to silence officers turning whistle-blowers.”
The transfer comes in the wake of at least five other similar transfers of officials following exposes in the last two years, starting from Rashmi V. Mahesh in April 2015 to C. Shikha in August 2016.
Incidentally, senior IAS officer Munish Moudgil, Ms. Roopa’s husband, found himself in a similar situation in July 2016 when in a letter he alleged that he was “pre-maturely” transferred for not allowing an illegal RTC transfer of a land belonging to the then Chief Secretary’s mother and blowing the lid off the scandal.
A senior bureaucrat said that the cynical use of transfers following flagging of irregularities by officers both within the police department and in the larger bureaucracy has an adverse impact on the morale of honest officials.
“Repeated transfers have now become a pattern and the message being sent out is that the government doesn’t encourage whistle-blowing by officials,” he said.
BENGALURU - KARNATAKA - 17/07/2017 : Karnataka Director General (Prisons) H N Satyanarayana Rao, leaving office after the State government on Monday transferred him out of the Prisons Department, for alleging irregularities in the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison in Bengaluru, on July 17, 2017. Photo K Murali Kumar | Photo Credit: K_MURALI_KUMAR
Former Lokayukta N. Santosh Hegde said that repeated instances of such transfers showed powers being misused for vested interests. “If officers who flag irregularities are transferred vindictively, nobody will have the courage to expose these misdeeds and corruption,” he told The Hindu.
One solution may be to amend the Whistle Blowers Protection Act, 2011 and implement it to include officials as well, said R. Sri Kumar, former Vigilance Commissioner of the country and retired IPS officer from the State. “Transfers are being used as a punishment to silence officials. As per the present Act, whistle-blowers need to seek protection under the Act at the outset itself. This needs to be amended to help officials seek protection from transfers and other such action,” he said.
Inmates divided over transfers
As soon as government orders transferring D. Roopa came out earlier in the day, there were reports of a group of inmates protesting against it during lunch break. They demanded the transfer of Krishna Kumar, Chief Superintendent of Bengaluru central prison at Parappana Agrahara. Mr. Kumar was subsequently transferred. Meanwhile, another section of inmates celebrated Ms. Roopa’s transfer by allegedly distributing sweets.
Vinay Kumar begins probe
Senior retired bureaucrat Vinay Kumar, appointed by the State government to probe into the alleged irregularities at the Bengaluru central prison, met Subhash Chandra, Home Secretary, on Monday.
Sources said that Mr. Kumar collected copies of the two reports written by D. Roopa alleging irregularities and destruction of evidence at the prison and copies of the show-cause notices issued to the officials. Sources said H.N. Sathyanarayana Rao has also submitted a report alleging that the source of ill-will in the department stemmed from Ms. Roopa’s dissatisfaction over division of work between senior officers. A copy of this was also reportedly given to Mr. Kumar.
The retired bureaucrat refused to speak to media and said the timing of his visit to the prison would be kept under wraps.