The state government has lodged a strong protest with the Centre on the Income Tax department using the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) during raids on Energy Minister D K Shivakumar, without consulting it.
The overall security and maintenance of the law and order is the responsibility of the state. So, the I-T department should have consulted the local police before deploying the CRPF personnel for conducting the raids. “The Government of Karnataka wishes to convey its strong protest with regard to the above,”
Additional Chief Secretary to Home department Subash Chandra stated in a letter addressed to Secretary to Union Department of Revenue Hasmukh Adhia.
Deployment of the CRPF in full operational attire with weapons for a civilian operation conveys a wrong impression. It also shows the state police in poor light and gives rise to doubts regarding its impartial functioning, especially with the Central government departments. “It (use of CRPF personnel) casts an aspersion of adverse credibility, integrity and professionalism of the state police which has been utilised effectively and without complaint by the I-T department in its previous operations,” Subash Chandra stated.
The presence of about 30 CRPF personnel resulted in protests by the local supporters of Shivakumar at Sadashivanagar in Bengaluru on Wednesday. The police personnel were required to be mobilised and deployed at short notice to maintain law and order, he said, adding that established conventions of cooperative action between agencies of the Centre and the state governments should not be bypassed.
Published 03 August 2017, 13:25 IST