HN Sathyanarayana Rao was scared, didn't come for farewell, says Karnataka top cop

BENGALURU: "H.N. Sathyanarayana Rao (ex-DIG of prisons) did not turn up for his own farewell. I think he was scared of facing everyone," commented Inspector General of Police D. Roopa, who was Deputy Inspector General Prisons during Mr Rao's tenure.

The Karnataka IPS Association had organised a farewell for six IPS officers, including Mr Rao, who retired recently on Wednesday evening. But Mr Rao did not attend.

Ms Roopa had earlier written a letter protesting against the Association's decision to organise a farewell for Mr Rao. 

She had said, "I register my protest against giving farewell to H.N.S. Rao, not for personal reasons, but for the general cause of the IPS. Here was a man who wanted to scuttle powers and functions of an IPS-cadre post. Though the organisational chart said that DIG-cadre post will report to the head, DG/IG Prisons, he asked me to report to AIG Prisons. He asked me to route files through AIG Prisons. And who is this AIG Prisons? He is a person who joined prisons department in a post equivalent to PSI in 1983. Have you ever seen a PSI in our department rise to the post of even SP? The prison official used all mean methods to get promoted as DIG and then got a post created as AIG, claiming that AIG is above DIG. And how many years did the person serve as DIG Prisons before becoming AIG Prisons? Only 3 years! Well, even IPS requires minimum 4 years to get promoted after becoming DIG. And to such a post, HNS Rao wanted IPS Cadre post to report. When I submitted to him that he is undermining the authority of IPS ca
dre post, my words fell on deaf ears. My exact conversation with him was like this - 'Sir, you are an IPS, if you don't protect our interest, who will? Today, I am here. Tomorrow someone else would be there. These days, batches are very big with 10 to 11 IPS coming every year to Cadre. Why do you want them to suffer? If I report to the Prisons AIG, it will be a precedent. And where on earth would an IPS report to a departmental person? Even IAS, who are posted in any department as director or additional director will only report to the IAS boss and not the departmental man'.  However, none of these he considered for reasons best known to him. On one hand we keep saying in our IPS forums that we should protect our interests, show leadership etc. On the other hand he is being felicitated even with his anti-IPS stand. The mental agony that I personally went through those days cannot be explained. But I'm not registering my protest for what pain he caused me personally. I'm only putting forth before you the man who acted against interests of our service, the man who never stood for the IPS colleague posted under him."

Ms Roopa, when she was the DIG of prisons, had submitted a nine-point report to the government, alleging that certain VIPs were getting special treatment at the Parappana Agrahara jail, for which Mr H.N. Sathyanarayana Rao has filed a defamation case claiming Rs 20 crore in damages. 

She had also said that AIADMK leader V.K. Sasikala had bribed many to get special treatment at the Parappana Agrahara jail. Mr Rao had denied the allegations, saying they were baseless and false. Later, he retired, while Roopa was transferred to the traffic and road safety department.

Ms Roopa told Deccan Chronicle that though she protested, she attended the event to respect the other five officers, who were given the farewell. Mr Rao was not available for comment.