Mysuru Deputy Commissioner Rohini Sindhuri on Tuesday sought permission from the chair and excused herself from a meeting of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly’s Committee on Papers Laid on the Table, stating that the agenda of the day did not pertain to her office.
The committee chairman and K.R.Nagar MLA, S.R. Mahesh of the Janata Dal (Secular), who had a standoff with her in the past, did not mince words when he said that she could leave if she had other important work following which the Deputy Commissioner left the hall.
The incident is perceived in some quarters as a continuation of the simmering discontent between a section of the MLAs and the IAS officer which has come to the fore frequently in the last few months.
Tuesday’s incident took place soon after the official introduced herself. Ms.Sindhuri, who was seated in the front row and was wearing a mask, sought permission to leave as none of the issues listed pertained to her office. But Mr. Mahesh asked her to remove the mask and speak as “you are not clearly audible’’.
But Ms. Sindhuri retorted saying it was not advisable to remove the mask and refused to do so. Then she repeated her plea following which Mr. Mahesh said that the committee was in the city on behalf of the Speaker and she, as the Deputy Commissioner of a district, was informed as per the protocol. There are senior members in the committee and the district administration should have received them, he said. “But we are happy you are here though it is not compulsory’’, Mr. Mahesh added.
However, on prompting by other members on the dais, Mr. Mahesh told Ms. Sindhuri that she could leave as there were no issues listed on the agenda which required the presence of the DC, following which she left the hall.
The proceedings, captured on the camera, is being projected as continuation of the MLAs’ lack of rapport with the official. However, other officials who attended the meeting said there was nothing wrong in what transpired during the day as the DC’s presence was not required and the committee members had permitted her to leave.
