The accused were identified as assistant director Guruprasad and Sudharshan, a technical assistant. They were held in Mysuru.
Agricultural Minister N Chaluvarayaswamy. (Sourced)
The Crime Investigation Department (CID) of the Karnataka police has arrested two government officials for allegedly sending a fake letter to Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot, saying Agriculture Minister N Chaluvarayaswamy demanded bribes.
The arrested Agriculture Department officials have been identified as assistant director Guruprasad and technical assistant Sudarshan. They were arrested from KR Nagar in Mysuru on Sunday, 20 August.
The CID arrested the duo after registering an FIR at the Mandya West police station based on a complaint by the Agriculture Department’s Mandya Joint Director Ashok VS.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, too, had ordered a probe into the allegation against Chaluvarayaswamy.
The FIR was registered against unidentified persons under sections 465 (forgery) and 469 (forgery for harming reputation) of the Indian Penal Code.
After the FIR was registered the investigators inspected the Assistant Agriculture Directors’ (AAD) office in Mandya on Thursday, 10 August. The letter was purportedly written on behalf of seven AADs in the Mandya district.
The letter alleged that Chaluvarayaswamy had been harassing the officials by demanding bribes ranging from ₹6 lakh to ₹8 lakh. The Governor forwarded the letter to Chief Secretary Vandita Sharma for a probe.
Chaluvarayaswamy, also the district in-charge minister of Mandya, denied demanding bribes and urged the chief minister to order an investigation into the charges against him.
Siddaramaiah referred the case to the CID and the preliminary investigation ruled out the involvement of the seven AADs mentioned in the letter.
Further investigation revealed that the letter was posted at a post office in Saraswathipuram, a Mysuru residential suburb.
The sleuths collected CCTV footage from nearby areas and narrowed down the probe to a few people who had visited the post office on the date on which the letter was posted.
On questioning them, the CID found the involvement of Guruprasad and Sudarshan and picked them up on Sunday.
A senior police officer said the men were taken to an undisclosed location for interrogation, and their arrests were recorded.
The former chief minister and JD(S) leader, HD Kumaraswamy, said the arrests proved that the charges levelled against the minister were true.
“Keep aside the discussion whether the letter was fake or genuine, but now the truth has come out that there was transfer business happening in the Agriculture Department,” he said.
“Why did the officers write the letter? Whether the officers are from Mysuru or Mandya doesn’t matter, but the fact is that the truth has come out,” he added.
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