Despite inclusion of the sensitive areas like Hunsagi, Shorapur and Shahapur, the post of Deputy Superintendent of Police at Shorapur remain vacant for almost four weeks after Dy. SP Devaraju had been transferred.
Yadgir district has a total population of 11.74 lakh with 16 hoblies and 516 villages. For this population, the home department established 16 police stations, two out police stations and one police check post at Kuntimari village in Gurmitkal taluka near Karnataka-Andhra Pradesh State border
Hunsagi, Kodekal, Kakkera (OP), Narayanpur, Kembhavi police stations come under Hunsagi circle, Shorapur city police station, Shahapur city police station, Gogi police station and Bheemarayagudi police stations of Shahapur Circle come under the limits of Shorapur Deputy Superintendent.
The rest of stations like Yadgir town police station, Traffic police station 1 and 2 and Wadagera police stations come under Yadgir circle. Gurmitkal and Saidapur have Inspector grade police stations. Apart from this, the Women police station is included under the Yadgir Deputy Superintendent of Police limits.
In such a situation, the Dy. SP post in Shorapur remained vacant for almost four weeks after Devaraj was transferred. Interestingly, the Dy. SP post in Yadgir was also being handled by the in-charge Deputy Superintendent of Police, James Menezes, who is the Dy. SP of DCRB in Kalaburagi. He was posted after the then Dy. SP of Yadgir Veeresh Karadiguddi went on leave when his name appeared in the FIR lodged by sand mining lorry owner on the alleged bribe charges.
Without having any option, Mr. James was entrusted as Dy. SP Shorapur on additional charges. Including this post, he was handling three other posts simultaneously.
The State government had bifurcated Shahapur, Shorapur and Hunsagi taluks and created one Dy. SP ranking officer post at Shorapur to supervise the police stations coming under these taluks.
The home department has not taken any action to post one Dy. SP rank officer to Shorapur under which limits almost all of the police stations like Kembhavi, Kodekal, Narayanpur, Shorapur, Shahapur, Gogi and Kakkera (OP) are basically sensitive.
“Majority of the crimes such as murder, attempt to murder, group clash, and atrocities on people of Scheduled Castes, theft, and attention diversion are reporting under Shorapur Dy. SP limits. However, the senior officers of the local limits and Dy. SP and SP are handling situations rushing from Yadgir. The local senior officers, who rushed to the spot on time, handled the tense situation at Huvinahalli village in Shorapur taluk when Dalits were resisted by the upper caste people entering from Anjaneya temple,” sources in the department have said.
When contacted, Superintendent of Police C.B. Vedamurthy told The Hindu that he has already informed the home department after Mr. Devaraj was relieved. But, posting a new Dy. SP ranking officer at Shorapur has only to be done from the government level.
He also made it clear that Mr. Karadigudda had gone on leave after his name appeared as accused in the FIR on the alleged bribe charges. Thus, we will declare him as “absconding” after 21 days have lapsed from the day first of leave. However, it is left to the ACB before whom the complaint on bribe charges was lodged to send requisition for further action against Mr. Karadigudda, he added.
