IPS officers in face-off over Bengaluru safe city project shifted

IANS

Bengaluru, 01 Jan 2021: The Karnataka government on Thursday shifted out two warring IPS officers of the IGP rank - D. Roopa and Hemanth Nimbalkar - who have been involved in a raging controversy over irregularities in the tendering process for the multi-crore ’Nirbhaya Safe City’ Bengaluru project.

 

Their transfers were effected by the state government, along with of six other IPS officers.

 

Controversy erupted earlier this month after 1998 batch IPS officer, Hemanth Nimbalkar, the chairperson of the authority vested with the power to invite tenders for the ’Nirbhaya Safe City’ Bengaluru project, wrote to the Chief Secretary alleging that a woman officer had "impersonated the Home Secretary" to seek classified information from a participating company which was drafting the tender.

 

 

The blame game had gone viral on social media and media thereafter for several days, after 2000 batch IPS officer, D. Roopa took to Twitter for her response as well as to post scathing attacks on Nimbalkar.

 

Refuting his allegations, she said that she was asked to look into the tendering process by the Additional Chief Secretary, Home, himself.

 

Accusing Nimbalkar of making a "false and motivated" complaint against her, she raised the demand to "remove Nimbalkar from the Safe City project and conduct an inquiry on the biased and unfair tender".

 

Also seeking immediate disciplinary proceedings against him by the government, she demanded a probe into why Nimbalkar was allowed to head the tender-inviting and scrutiny committees "despite being charge-sheeted by the CBI in the Rs 4,500-crore IMA scam".

 

The blame game and public spat cast a shadow on the project that is aimed at making the city safe for women.

 

As per a government notification released on Thursday, Nimbalkar has been transferred as the IGP in the Internal Security Division.

 

The 1998 batch IPS officer was serving as the IGP and Additional Commissioner of Police (Administration), Bengaluru.

 

Roopa has, meanwhile, been posted as the Managing Director of Karnataka State Handicrafts Development Corporation, a post that was declared equivalent of the IGP cadre from her present post as Secretary, Prisons, Civil Defence and Auxiliary Services, in the Home Department.

 

Malini Krishnamoorthy, a 1993 batch IPS officer, has been posted as Roopa’s replacement in the Home Department, while the government is yet to notify Nimbalkar’s successor to the post in Bengaluru.

 

In other transfers, ADGP K. Ramachandra Rao was transferred to Grievances and Human Rights, M. Chandrashekar will take over as IGP, Central Range, Vipul Kumar will be director of the Karnataka Police Academy, Vikash Kumar Vikash will be DIG of Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP), Vritka Katiyar SP, State Crime Records Bureau and Ranjit Kumar Bandaru, the Assistant Superintendent of Police of Bhatkal subdivision.