‘They would have lynched me’ - ATI Director General V. Rashmi Mahesh

Mysore: Ms V. Rashmi,  director general of the Administrative Training Institute (ATI), who was roughed up on Wednesday  during her visit to condole the death of ATI mess in-charge, H Venkatesh, claims it was a pre-meditated attack to draw attention away from the many irregularities in the institute. “They would have lynched me but for the fact that I did not lose my balance and fall down, ” she said in a 22-page report on the incident to the Chief Secretary , which she released to the media on Thursday.

“It has been three months since I have taken charge and although I have been repeatedly drawing the government’s attention over the last two months to the irregularities, its reluctance to order an inquiry has sent murky signals to some of the hostile ATI employees and vested interests, who seem to be taking advantage of its ambivalence,” she added in the report in which she has once again listed the alleged irregularities and misappropriation of funds in the institute in the period 2008-2014 and sought an inquiry by either the Lokayukta or the CBI into the tenure of former director general  of ATI, Amita Prasad.

Ms Rashmi has claimed Ms Prasad and her husband, ADGP Intelligence, A M Prasad, continued to retain and use the official DG’s quarters and even conduct meetings of  disgruntled staff, tenderers and officials there, despite her remitting office.

“It is a strange co-incidence that  such an event (the attack on her) should occur just a day after they formally vacated the DG’s quarters,” Ms Rashmi observed in the report, alleging that  the police had on the instructions of Mr Prasad chosen not to be present during  her visit to condole the death of the ATI staffer though her office had been in touch with the commissioner of police since that morning. “The police aided and abetted the attack on me by its sheer indifference and failure to protect a public servant on duty,” she charged.

“In hindsight I only wish I had taken shelter under the Whistleblower’s Act which would at least have assured me of protection and would have made it possible for me to lead a life of dignity. Being honest and committed to the ideals of public service should not endanger anyone’s life and dignity. Yet Wednesday’s incident makes me doubt that, ”she added bitterly. Speaking to the media she described the attack on her as “a bird’s eye view of the attitude of society towards an honest, sincere and committed officer. ”