Hassan MLA H.S. Prakash has accused Minister for Animal Husbandry A. Manju of harassing his brother and forcing him to take voluntary retirement as Assistant Director of the Department of Animal Husbandry. The MLA has also released an audio clip of the minister’s telephone conversation with the officer. MLA Prakash’s younger brother Dr. H.S.Mohan Das took voluntary retirement earlier this year.
Addressing a press conference, here on Thursday, Mr. Prakash said Mr. Manju, who is also minister in-charge of Hassan district, had telephoned his brother Mr. Mohan Das on January 7 this year. The minister told the officer that he had received a complaint against him and based on that he would get him transferred to a distant place.
“The minister in his conversation alleged that my brother had taken a bribe from someone and claimed he had photographs to prove his allegation. If he had received any complaint against my brother, who is a government official, he should have ordered an inquiry. But, instead, he threatened him with transfer. Fed up with the development, my brother took voluntary retirement from the service, though he had one-and-half-a-years of service left,” Mr. Prakash said.
The MLA alleged that the minister targeted his brother for political reasons. There was no need of threatening him with transfer. “This is purely for political reasons. I did not want to share this all with the media all these days. However, recently, the minister shifted the veterinary polyclinic set up in Hassan to Arakalgud, his constituency. This move prompted me to bring out the past incident,” he said.
Further, he said the minister could order an inquiry into the allegation against his brother. “Let him order for an inquiry if he was found guilty let his pension benefits be withdrawn,” he challenged.
Reacting to the allegation, Mr. Manju told mediapersons that he had called up the officer as he had received a complaint against him. “Being a Minister, I had called up the officer as there was a complaint against him. I did warn him. There was nothing wrong in it. The officer later took voluntary retirement and left the department. I have not done anything illegal,” he said.
