File voluntary FIRs over fake news: Karnataka CM to police

Siddaramaiah pointed out that the people had voted for a change in leadership and that the government must respond accordingly.

Chief minister Siddaramaiah on Friday directed the Karnataka police to proactively initiate legal proceedings by registering voluntary First Information Reports (FIRs) against those indulging in misinformation, hate speech, and moral policing, adding that police should not wait for complaints to be filed in such instances.

Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah meets with senior police officers during the Senior Police Officers Conference at DG & IG office, in Benglauru on Friday. (ANI)

Siddaramaiah pointed out that the people had voted for a change in leadership and that the government must respond accordingly. “People have voted for change and brought us to power. We expect the state police to also deliver the change the people need. Law and order is directly related to the development of the state and we will not tolerate anyone who disturbs peace in the state,” he said.

These directives were conveyed to police officers during a meeting of senior police officials held at the state director general of police’s office on Friday.

“We have zero tolerance towards anybody who takes the law into their hands. Whoever that is, whatever their religion or party affiliation is, we want to ensure there is no communal violence in the state. Action should be taken by registering a suo-motu FIR against those who disturb the peace of the society,” the chief minister added.

The statement comes a day after, Karnataka police filed an FIR against a prominent Hindi news channel and its Consulting Editor over allegations of disseminating misleading information concerning a government subsidy program.

On Friday, in connection with the case, the Karnataka high court directed the police not to take precipitative action against the channel’s editor. However, the court said that there was a prima facie case against him, and it should be investigated. The court also said that it would dispose of the petition filed by the channel’s editor challenging the FIR and that there was no need for custodial interrogation till then.

Meanwhile, at the senior officer’s meeting, home minister G Parameshwara expressed concerns during the meeting about instances where police officials appeared to align with right-wing Hindutva ideologies. He warned officials that the government would not tolerate such affiliations.

Siddaramaiah also made it clear that the government would hold deputy commissioner of police (DCP) and superintendent of police (SP) level officials accountable for unlawful activities and organised crimes within their respective jurisdictions. He insisted that disciplinary actions would not be limited to junior officials but would extend to senior officials as well. “Disciplinary action is usually taken only against junior officials and not against senior officials. Letting go of this practice, we have decided to hold deputy commissioners of police [DCP] and superintendents of police [SP] responsible for unchecked crime and organised illegal activities in their jurisdictions and take action against them,” he said.

“From my experience, I know that no crime could happen without the knowledge of the jurisdictional officers. I have also instructed senior officials to not only visit police stations but also be on the ground and patrol the streets regularly,” he added.

The chief minister reminded the police force of the constitutional principles that reject social darwinism and uphold equal rights for all. “The police are often accused of high-handedness when interacting with common people. We won’t tolerate that. We expect the police to create a people-friendly police system, and give confidence and solace to someone who comes to the police station seeking help and justice. Any instances of high-handedness will be dealt with severely,” the chief minister said.

“It would be impractical to create a crime-free society but want to control crime. But we want to definitely root out the drug menace completely. I have asked officials to launch a special drive against narcotics in the state, particularly Bengaluru. We are also thinking of forming a special team for the same,” Siddaramaiah said

Siddaramaiah also announced the approval of 230 new personnel to bolster the Central Crime Branch (CCB), which handles high-profile cases.