Sleaze CD: Top cop vouches for integrity of SIT officers

Bengaluru/Gokak: Bengaluru City police commissioner Kamal Pant on Tuesday said that he vouches for all those officers working tirelessly in the Special Investigation Team, headed by Additional Commissioner of Police, Soumendu Mukherjee, that is probing the sleaze CD case.

Pant told reporters that he had received a letter from the woman involved in the case. "I have received a letter with allegations about my officers. I know them for the last several years. They have worked with me on various cases. I know their integrity, I can vouch for them. People may have their own doubts, I can't help it. After receiving her letter, I have asked the SIT to file a detailed report on the entire investigation till date and they will submit to me soon," he said.

Pant's statement assumes significance in the backdrop of the woman as well her legal counsellor, Jagadesh K. N. Mahadev alleging that the SIT was derailing the case.

The woman has written a second letter to the Bengaluru Police Commissioner on Monday evening. In the past too, she has made similar allegations.

In a response to a question, Pant said that when this case is routed through the High Court and with the Karnataka High Court chief justice monitoring it, how can any sane person play with his job?

"Do you think our police officers would do something like that the way allegations are hurled at them? Sometimes, one has to assess through various factors, when a case is in High Court, no official in any government dares to play the favouritism game here. Under such circumstances, every official tries to be well within law and carries out his duty diligently," he said.

Meanwhile, the SIT team members visited Gokak Taluk hospital, where tainted BJP leader, Ramesh Jarkiholi is undergoing treatment after testing COVID positive.

Two officers of the SIT met Gokak Taluk health officer Dr Ravindra and sought various details about Jarkiholi's health condition.