Arkalgud MLA A.T. Ramaswamy has alleged that local police demanded a bribe from a person to remove him from the rowdy sheet. The MLA has written to the Superintendent of Police of Hassan complaining against the police in this regard.
At a press conference in Arkalgud on Saturday, Mr. Ramaswamy said Haneef had been on the rowdy sheet of Arakalgud Town Police Station. He had settled in Kerala for the last 10 years engaged in a business. Recently he approached the MLA with a request to remove him from the list, as he had not been involved in any illegal activity for 10 years and responded whenever the police called him. “I had spoken to the SP of Hassan to consider his request and take proper action as per the law. The SP also had instructed the local police on the issue”, he said.
However, the MLA said, when Haneef approached the police with relevant documents, the officers at the office of Circle Inspector demanded ₹50,000 and those in the station wanted another ₹25,000 to recommend the removal of his name from the rowdy sheet.
“This is a serious issue. The police are ready to remove the name if the bribe is paid to them. If not paid, they would keep the name on the list. A person’s fate depends on the money he pays. If the police, who have maintained law and order, behaves like this, who will safeguard the law”, he asked. The MLA has urged the SP to probe the issue and take proper action.
When The Hindu contacted Hassan SP R. Srinivasa Gowda, he said the MLA had spoken to him about Haneef’s case. “We are not removing any names from the rowdy sheet individually. We will call all of them and review their recent activities, before taking any decision. Nobody needs to pay a bribe for this. However, this person approached the police station repeatedly and appealed to them to forward their recommendation. As the police refused to budge, citing the procedures, he must have conveyed the developments to the MLA in some other way. As the MLA has spoken about it, I will hold an inquiry into the issue.”
