Rot in the ranks – The Hindu

S.At the summit of the annual conference of IPS officers recently, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah made the surprising statement revealing that State police personnel were found to be involved in 88 criminal cases last year and were arrested. He described the situation as “embarrassing”. His condemnation came after a number of high-profile cases hit the headlines, including an ATM cash truck robbery in Bengaluru in which a police officer was revealed to be the ringleader, and various abuses and allegations of corruption at the Bengaluru Central Jail. Last year, the Maharashtra Police busted narcotics manufacturing units in Mysuru and Bengaluru and seized supplies worth several crores. This shows that the Karnataka Police failed to arrest a single synthetic drug manufacturer during the year.

The establishment dealt with these shameful incidents by suspending police personnel. In 2025, in Bengaluru alone, nearly 150 people – including the City Police Commissioner linked to the RCB stampede case – were suspended for corruption, crime or dereliction of duty.

But the elephant in the room is the allegedly widespread ‘cash for job postings’ issue, where police postings are purchased with cash. Police sources say the cost of securing positions has become “astronomical” and corruption has worsened. Given this alleged situation, the leadership is said to be either helpless or has lost the moral authority to expose wrongdoers. The suspensions turned into eye-candy, as most of the police officers returned to duty after a short break. None suffered serious consequences.

Opposition leaders, especially Union Minister and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy, have repeatedly alleged that there was a ‘transfer’. dhandhe‘ or transfer work carried out by the state government. They claim that Congress’s five-guarantee plan has drained a large portion of State funds. As a result, other development works that had previously sustained the “economy of corruption” have taken a hit and are now replaced by cash payments.

On December 17, 2025, during the winter session of the Legislative Assembly, there was a three-hour debate on Department of Internal Affairs matters. Several leaders, including Leader of Opposition R. Ashok, insinuated that giving cash in exchange for postings led to corruption in the police. Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, a suspended MLA from the BJP, said the police department can be reformed only if all MLAs stop taking money from the police. Pointing to “competitive tenders” to get appointments, he said: “If someone paid ₹50 crore to become a Commissioner, he must always earn ₹100 crore when he takes up the post, right?” The Minister of Internal Affairs did not respond.

Recently, the Deputy Commissioner of Police of Bengaluru City was caught by the Lokayukta Police in an entrapment case while accepting bribe from a restaurateur. The restaurateur who filed the complaint alleged that the officer forced him to pay ₹50,000 per month to run his business after 1am, even though he did not want to do business beyond the deadline. A senior official told Hindu this “best summarizes basic reality.” An SP in the Lokayukta himself was accused of extortion in the name of anti-corruption action.

In fact, the Minister of Internal Affairs, Dr. G. Parameshwara too came under a cloud due to his association with controversial DGP K. Ramachandra Rao. Mr Rao’s step-daughter Ranya Rao was arrested last year after she was caught smuggling gold at the Bengaluru airport. He allegedly misused Mr. Rao’s police escort to smuggle gold. The Emergency Department later contacted Dr. in connection with the case. He raided educational institutions linked to Parameshwara. Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar told the media that the raids were carried out by Dr. He said it was related to the diamond necklace that Parameshwara had gifted to Mrs. Rao on her wedding. Mr Rao was suspended last week over videos that allegedly showed him in inappropriate positions with women in his office.

The appointment of all IPS officers is handled by the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms, the responsibility of which is usually assumed by the Prime Minister and which also controls the intelligence department. All these regulations eliminate the authority of the Minister of Internal Affairs. If the HR management of the Karnataka Police goes awry, the responsibility ultimately lies with the leadership.