Clarify why headmaster collapsed in CM's chamber, says HDK

JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy on Thursday accused the chief minister’s office of hushing up a bribery case.

Levelling a fresh charge against the government, Kumaraswamy said a headmaster from Raichur named Mohan Kumar had collapsed in Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s chambers on the third floor of Vidhana Soudha on July 13. “The government should clarify why he collapsed. Did he consume poison?” asked Kumaraswamy. He said the CMO had reportedly demanded a bigger bribe from him.

Kumaraswamy said Mohan Kumar had sought a transfer from Raichur, for which he had paid a bribe of Rs 3 lakh to CMO officials. On Wednesday, he was found lying on the floor in the CM’s chambers, Kumaraswamy said.

“The CMO staff shifted the headmaster surreptitiously to Bowring Hospital, where even his relatives are not being allowed to meet him,” accused Kumaraswamy.

The JD(S) leader has sought a detailed investigation into the matter. He, however, did not mention which officer or officers in the CMO had sought the bribe. Kumaraswamy did not give details about which place Mohan Kumar wanted to be transferred to.

The Chief Minister’s office however dismissed the charges saying that no person named Mohan Kumar had visited Siddaramaiah’s official residence or his chambers on Wednesday. JD(S) sources said Mohan Kumar, who was kept in the ICU, was discharged by 5 pm on Thursday.