'Leaked' conversation: DCP Hilori may face departmental enquiry

He is accused of revealing conversations tapped during Cauvery riots

IPS officer Ajay Hilori, now DCP (East), may face departmental enquiry for reportedly leaking excerpts of an audio conversation between Kannada activists and an IGP rank officer during the violence in the city over Cauvery water sharing issue in September 2016.

The conversation was reportedly tapped by Hilori, who was the then DCP (West), during the Cauvery violence.
Hilori is accused of leaking the conversation between ‘Kannada’ Prakash and T A Narayana Gowda, president, Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, and KSR Charan Reddy, the then Additional Commissioner of Police (West), said the police.

Reddy had submitted a report to N S Megharkih, the then police commissioner, furnishing evidence about Hilori’s involvement in leaking the tapped conversation.

A separate report was also sent to Om Prakash, the then DG&IGP. However, Om Prakash did not act on the report.
The issue came to the fore after a section of media aired/published the recorded conversation on Tuesday.

“It is a serious lapse on the part of the officer, if found guilty. I have directed Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Praveen Sood to submit a report,” DG&IGP Rupak Kumar Dutta told DH. Sood said the matter was being investigated and the report will be submitted shortly.

When contacted, Hilori said: “No comments from my side. I am not aware of any allegations against me.”
The police decided to tap the phone calls of ‘Kannada’ Prakash and Narayana Gowda to gather leads to thwart attempts of violence. The police had obtained the permission from the competent authority before tapping the phones.

Bengaluru West and Bengaluru North witnessed large-scale violence following which Hilori and T R Suresh, DCP (North), were transferred for ‘failing’ to handle the situation. Hilori had reportedly ignored instructions from Megharikh and Reddy and did not go to the spot on time.

“Norms restrict the officer in charge of the phone tapping from leaking the conversation. But, a pen drive containing over one-and-a-half-hour conversation of Prakash, Gowda and Reddy was sent to media houses. It was presumed that Hilori was behind leaking the recorded conversation as he was in charge of the phone tapping,” said an officer.

The recorded conversation should be safely preserved. It should be destroyed after obtaining permission from the senior officers, the officer said.
DH News Service

What rules say
Hilori may be suspended on the charge of serious misconduct if found guilty of the offence under All India Services (Discipline and Apparel) Rules 1969. In case of an IPS officer serving in Bengaluru city, police commissioner is the competent authority to conduct a preliminary enquiry. However, the order of chief secretary (who is cadre controlling authority) is mandatory to initiate a departmental enquiry. Based on the recommendations of the departmental enquiry, the government will decide the nature of disciplinary action.