Hassan Deputy Commissioner K.S. Latha Kumari speaking to the media on Sunday. Image: Video screenshot
Hassan: Hassan DC Latha Kumari on Sunday rejected Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy’s bribery allegations against her office as false and demanded an inquiry into the WhatsApp chats he released, including who made them and between whom they were exchanged. “At every press meet we hear one false allegation or another. We face it boldly because we know it is false,” she said.
Kumaraswamy had alleged that the Hassan deputy commissioner’s office was collecting bribes from crusher owners and layout owners through middlemen, citing WhatsApp chats he released, and had sought seizure of the officials’ phones.
Asked about the crusher issue, Latha Kumari said who made the chat and between whom it took place must certainly be inquired into, and that its contents and what the two people said in it must also be inquired into. She said no demand for money is made on any file. “First, we do not get files brought through a PA. About 99% of the work is done in this office. For files from other offices, the officers themselves bring them and explain them, we inspect them, and a file is approved only if everything is in order,” she said.
She said no work is done against the rules. Whether the PA used her name, and whether he is innocent or guilty, has not been inquired into, she said, adding that an FIR should have been filed and the chat’s authenticity checked before it was taken to the media. “I reject and condemn such false allegations,” she said.
Reporters told her that when Kumaraswamy made the allegation, they had asked whether he would file a complaint and he had said no, asking the Chief Minister to investigate. Latha Kumari asked why he would not file a complaint, and said that going to the media to defame an officer, harass them and not let them work was wrong.
She said her entire focus was on devotees, with two days of public darshan left at the Hasanamba temple and heavy crowds expected. Their safety is the first priority, she said. Temples are not only about religious work, she said, and the district administration is responsible for the safety and smooth darshan of lakhs of people who come and for sending them back safely. Public safety comes first in public service and everything else is second, she said.
She said that while this work was under way, a false allegation was made. Minister Shivalingegowda had said he had not taken even 75 paise from the deputy commissioner, while Kumaraswamy had said Rs 75 lakh, she said. “This lying must stop. I will bring this to the notice of the Chief Secretary, because of the message this sends. We are strong and we are bold, that is a different matter, but such false things should not be said. The truth should have been verified,” she said.
She said it is surprising how such things can be said, that making such allegations is wrong and that they will have to be faced legally.
When reporters pointed to the 15 pages of chats and the Rs 60 lakh and Rs 75 lakh mentioned in them, she said her point was the same: the content and the people between whom it took place should both be inquired into, and further investigation should be done. She asked why Kumaraswamy was afraid to file an FIR, and said that if he had done nothing wrong, he should file one. “What was the need to come to a press meet and tell lies like this? Let the inquiry happen and let the truth be verified,” she said.
Latha Kumari said she had called the media only for this, as everyone had been phoning her to ask for her reaction. “I am telling everyone at once: all of this is false. Whatever allegation has been made against me is false,” she said.
Kumaraswamy’s allegations, and the chats he released, have not been independently verified.
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