Inspector-General of Police, Western Range, P. Harisekharan, who drew flak from Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for allegedly mishandling the recent communal flare-up in Dakshina Kannada district, was transferred on Monday, just seven months after taking charge. He has been replaced by M. Hemanth Nimbalkar, who was awaiting posting following his recent transfer from Bengaluru.
The transfer comes a day after the BJP, at its State executive meet, passed a resolution condemning the “breakdown of law and order”, which mainly referred to communal violence and killings of RSS workers in the coastal belt.
BJP has been taking up a campaign on the alleged murders of RSS activists in coastal districts, trying to put the ruling Congress in a spot.
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The IGP, Western Range, is in charge of the sensitive Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Chikkamagluru, and Uttara Kannada districts.
The Chief minister, who also holds the Home portfolio, reportedly blamed the “inaction” of jurisdictional police, including Mr. Harisekharan after the murder of RSS activist Sharath Madiwala, for the communal violence in Dakshina Kannada, at the annual IPS officers’ meeting in Bengaluru on July 10.
Incidentally, M.N. Reddi, was also transferred as State Intelligence chief recently, over the alleged mishandling of communal violence in Dakshina Kannada.
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Sources in the Chief Minister’s office said that Mr. Siddaramaiah was keen on controlling the communal elements in the coastal districts, and the transfers of police officials from the Western range was in the offing for a few days now.
Meanwhile, P. Ravi, who was Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime), Bengaluru, has been posted as IGP (Security and Vigilance), KSRTC, and N. Sathish Kumar, who was presently posted in Intelligence, replaces him. Bijay Kumar Singh has been posted as IGP, State Intelligence.