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Jnanendra warns IPS, IAS officers of action after social media spat
Amid the ongoing tussle between two senior women officers, Karnataka home minister Araga Jnanendra expressed displeasure over their conduct on Monday and warned of action
Amid the ongoing tussle between two senior women officers, Karnataka home minister Araga Jnanendra expressed displeasure over their conduct on Monday and warned of action.
Meanwhile, chief secretary (CS) Vandita Sharma summoned both officers and sought an explanation on Monday.
Karnataka state handicrafts development corporation managing director D Roopa, an IPS officer, and IAS officer Rohini Sindhuri, Muzrai department commissioner, indulged in a public spat on social media on Sunday, in which the former accused the latter of several wrongdoings, including corruption and sending personal pictures to other IAS officers.
Referring to their exchanges, Jnanendra said that people look up to IAS and IPS officers. But their conduct was causing disrespect and humiliation to civil services officers, he said.
“We are not sitting quietly. Action will be taken against them. They both are behaving in such a bad way that not even normal people speak on the streets. Let them do whatever on their issues, but behaving this way in front of the media is not right,” the home minister said, adding that he has spoken to the DG (Director General of Police) and will be speaking to the CS. The chief minister is also aware of it, he added.
On Monday, Sindhuri filed a complaint against Roopa to the CS. Meanwhile, Sharma sought an explanation from Roopa over her allegations against Sindhuri.
In her complaint to the chief secretary, Sindhuri said that personal vendetta would become the order of the day with such behaviour and requested that action be taken, as per All India Services Rules against Roopa. “I request that in case this type of anarchical behaviour is not acted against the Rule of Law will be thrown to pieces, and public trial and false allegations based on personal vendetta will become the order of the day. I request action as per All India Services Rules against smt Roopa D, IPS,” the letter read.
Roopa, on the other hand, reiterated her allegations against Sindhuri and sought a speedy inquiry into the existing complaints.
On Sunday, Roopa shared private photos of Sindhuri on social media and claimed that she violated service conduct rules by sending her photos to three male IAS officers in 2021 and 2022.
In a detailed Facebook post on Saturday, Roopa also listed 20 allegations against Rohini, accusing her of corruption. Images of Sindhuri sitting with Janata Dal (Secular) or JD (S) MLA S R Mahesh in a restaurant recently went viral. The two had several public fights accusing each other of corruption when Sindhuri was the DC of Mysuru in 2021.
“She made many accusations against then-minister Sa Ra Mahesh but did not prove a single one. Is that why she went for mediation with him?” Roopa asked in her post.
Roopa mentioned Sindhuri’s conflicts with fellow civil servants in the past, including then Mysuru City Corporation Commissioner Shilpa Nag. In 2021, the state government issued orders transferring both of them after Shilpa Nag had accused Sindhuri of ‘humiliating’ her and held a press conference that she was stepping down from her post.
“Harsh Gupta is an honest IAS officer, but Rohini fought with him as well. All other IAS officers know about this,” Roopa said in her Facebook post.
“Rohini Sindhuri fought with IAS officer Manivannan when he was in the Labour department,” she added.
Roopa also raked up the deaths of 24 people at the Chamarajanagar government hospital due to a lack of oxygen during the Covid-19 pandemic. “When 24 people died in Chamarajanagar due to a lack of oxygen during the Covid-19 pandemic, the blame was placed squarely on her shoulders, but she managed to come out unscathed,” Roopa alleged in her post. Roopa also said that during Covid, she built a swimming pool at her residence when “people were dying without oxygen.”
The IPS officer even brought D K Ravi into the row and claimed that the late IAS officer was a gentleman.
“The CBI report mentions his chats, and Sindhuri could have blocked him as soon as things went out of control. She did not block him permanently, and many others feel that not blocking him appeared to be encouraging him to move forward,” she said in her Facebook post.
Responding to the allegations, Sindhuri said in a statement on Sunday that Roopa is suffering from “mental illness” and that she has been driving “false, personal vilification campaigns” against her, which is “her standard modus operandi.”
“Mental illness is a huge problem; it needs to be addressed by medication and counselling. When it affects people in responsible positions, it becomes all the more dangerous. Roopa IPS have been driving false, personal vilification campaigns against me, which is her standard modus operandi. She has done it in every place she has worked, including the current one, which is an ex-cadre post,” Sindhuri said.
The two have accused each other of violating the Civil Services Conduct Rules and that they had brought it to the notice of the appropriate authorities.
Sindhuri said that she would take legal and other actions with appropriate authorities for Roopa’s actions amounting to misconduct and criminal offences under various sections of the Indian Penal Code. Sindhuri’s husband, Sudheer Reddy, also slammed Roopa and said that he will be filing a complaint against the IPS officer.
Meanwhile, on Monday, Jnanendra said the government would pursue action against both officials.
“Can an IAS officer send nude, naked pics? Why did she send these kinds of pictures? For a compromise? Or is it to prevent action against her in a case where allegations were proved in a preliminary inquiry? She should answer,” Roopa wrote on Facebook on Monday.
