'People fear the system more than criminals’: BJP attacks K'taka govt

BENGALURU: Senior BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka on Wednesday alleged that law and order has completely collapsed in Karnataka and questioned whether those entrusted with protecting the public had themselves become predators under the government led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. "People fear the system more than criminals, he stated with concern.

In a strongly worded statement, Ashoka claimed that people in Karnataka were now more afraid of the law enforcement system than of criminals themselves. Referring to recent reports on the police department, he said the figures exposed an alarming picture of the state’s law and order situation.

He alleged that under the leadership of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the Congress government in Karnataka, the police department has lost discipline, ethics and public trust, and has sunk into corruption.

Citing statistics, Ashoka said 713 police officers have been suspended in the last two years, which, according to him, reflected not isolated misconduct but a systemic collapse within the department.

He further alleged that criminal cases have been registered against 95 police personnel and questioned how citizens could trust the very people responsible for ensuring public safety if they themselves were involved in serious crimes.

Ashoka also claimed that the names of police personnel had surfaced in cases related to robbery, theft and murder. “If those responsible for enforcing the law begin violating it without fear, how can justice survive in the state?” he asked.

Expressing concern over Bengaluru’s image, the BJP leader alleged that a majority of the suspended officers were from the city. He warned that if law and order deteriorated to such an extent in India’s technology capital, it would damage Bengaluru’s brand value and reputation.

Ashoka further claimed that more than 400 police officials have been found guilty in departmental inquiries and questioned what stringent action the government had taken against them.