The Minister in-charge of Hassan and other leaders of the Congress are said to have put pressure on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to transfer Deputy Commissioner Rohini Sindhuri. The leaders, who met Mr. Siddaramaiah here on Thursday night, complained against the officer and wanted her transferred from the district.
The allegations against her included that she was arrogant, hardly took opinions of elected representatives, and was responsible for the arrest of Dalits protesting for a land for a burial ground at Danayakanahalli in Belur taluk.
A. Manju, Minister for Sericulture and Animal Husbandry, reportedly complained to the CM that the officer ignored his phone calls. MLC M.A. Gopalaswamy reportedly told Mr. Siddaramaiah that the DC had no respect for elected representatives. The officer made him wait for long before allowing him into her chamber, he said. Hassan District Congress Committee president Javagal Manjunath, former Minister B. Shivaram, and others took objection to the officer’s way of administration.
The Minister and the DC had differences over the execution of works related to the Mahamastakabhisheka in Shravanabelagola. While the Minister wanted the construction of the scaffolding to the statue to be handed over to the Karnataka Road Development Corporation Ltd., the DC insisted that the project be executed by the Public Works Department. The Chief Minister had supported the DC on this issue.
Mr. Siddaramaiah held a meeting with the DC on the complaints against her on Friday. Even as the CM was receiving a memorandum from the senior citizens of the Hassan regarding rejuvenation of tanks, representatives of Hassan district unit of the Republic Party of India demanded that the DC be transferred accusing her of ignoring the Dalits in the district.
