Bengaluru: In 2017, V.R. Marathe, President (Bangalore Urban) of the anti-corruption forum Lancha muktha Karnataka Nirmana Vedike wrote a letter to BBMP Commissioner Manjunath Prasad. In it, he alleged that BBMP officials in the Bomanahalli area were involved in illegal khata transfers. The NGO, which deals with anti-corruption, got no response, despite bringing to light that over 64 illegal transfers had been carried out in that zone. No action was taken. On the other hand, S.N. Asha, a former revenue officer in that area, was transferred thrice last year, allegedly because she refused to clear an illegal khata.
NGOs and activists’ who fight relentlessly to expose corruption within the many government departments, using time and resources to collect the required proof, invariably find their efforts in vain. "I have done sting operations where policemen were caught demanding bribes but no action was ever taken. The shielding of corrupt officials is rampant in the police department and I have plenty of evidence to prove it," he told Deccan Chronicle.
For instance, PSI Santosh Gowda, who was deployed at SJ Park police station, was accused of demanding a bribe to file a B Report in a cheque-bounce case. The complainant, Manjunath, demanded that the officer be suspended. The case was taken up by senior police officials but fizzled out and was officially closed in July, after Manjunath withdrew his complaint. His reasons for doing so are unknown.
Several RTIs were filed to gather proof regarding Ms Asha's transfer. "Transferring her a few months before retirement is in violation of the BBMP guidelines," said Marathe. "The documents clearly state that khata transfers were done to escalate the value of the property," he added.
In most cases, Marathe explains, he was asked by senior police and government officials to take thematter to court. "I don't have the money to take up each case in court and it is also a time-consuming process. There have been cases including the one I had mentioned but no inquiry was ever conducted and the cases died a slow death.
