Mirji meets Lokayukta, security of officers discussed

The meeting came amid reports that officials of the Indian Forest Service have received threatening calls from people interested in keeping the contents of the report a secret.

City Police Commissioner Jyotiprakash Mirji called on Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde in Bangalore on Saturday.

City Police Commissioner Jyothi Prakash Mirji met Lokayukta N. Santosh Hegde on Saturday to discuss the security of the five Indian Forest Service officers, who helped put the report on illegal mining together. The report is expected to be submitted soon.

The meeting came amid reports that some of the officials have received threatening calls from people interested in keeping the contents of the report a secret. Refusing to confirm these reports, Justice Hegde told reporters, “I have shared [with Mr. Mirji] the concerns that I have for the safety of the five officers.”

Jusitce Hegde also said that he had not called Mr. Mirji. “He came to me on his own accord and discussed the manner in which the security arrangements can be made. He wanted to know from me the nature of the threat perception,” he said.

Phone tapping

He also said that he did not discuss the issue of phone tapping with Mr. Mirji. “Right now I am not considering filing a police complaint regarding the matter. I might do that after the report is submitted,” he said.

This was in the context of reports that the leak of portions of the Lokayukta report, where a television channel aired sections from it, was the result of phone tapping.