Chalavadi Narayanswamy, the Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly and a senior BJP leader, has accused the state government of presiding over a serious breakdown of law and order. He alleged that the administration has adopted a negligent and weak approach in dealing with repeated incidents of assault, intimidation, and threats directed at government officers and employees, with women officers being particularly vulnerable.
In a detailed letter addressed to the state’s Chief Secretary, Narayanswamy expressed grave concern over the growing number of such incidents. He emphasised that it is the government’s primary and non-negotiable duty to ensure that public servants are able to carry out their official responsibilities without fear or coercion. Urging immediate intervention, he called on the Chief Secretary to take decisive action and ensure that those responsible for intimidating or attacking officers are identified and punished strictly in accordance with the law.
Highlighting what he described as an alarming trend, Narayanswamy wrote that recent days have seen a series of disturbing incidents involving threats and abuse against government officials, especially women officers. He alleged that elected representatives, leaders, and workers associated with the ruling Congress party have openly issued death threats to officers performing their lawful duties and have deliberately obstructed their work. According to him, these actions clearly demonstrate the failure of the state machinery to maintain law and order.
The BJP leader specifically referred to a recent incident in Shidlaghatta, where defeated Congress candidate Rajeev Gowda allegedly used obscene language while speaking to City Municipal Commissioner Amruta Gowda over the phone and issued open death threats. Narayanswamy described the incident as highly condemnable and said it was deeply shameful that a woman officer was being forced to function in an atmosphere marked by fear, abuse, and intimidation.
He also cited another episode from Bengaluru South district, where a local MLA reportedly insulted the Magadi Tahsildar during a public meeting and allegedly threatened that people would beat the officer with slippers. While acknowledging that elected representatives have the right to question government officials on issues related to their constituencies, Narayanswamy stressed that such interactions must remain within constitutional boundaries and adhere to democratic norms of conduct and language.
Narayanswamy warned that the use of political influence to pressure honest officers or threaten them with physical harm is extremely harmful to democratic functioning and severely damages the morale of the bureaucracy. He asserted that creating a safe and impartial environment where officers can work strictly according to the law is the responsibility of the government. He further noted that obscene abuse and threats, particularly when aimed at women officers, have a serious impact on their confidence, efficiency, and ability to discharge their duties effectively.
Strongly criticising what he termed the Congress government’s “soft approach,” Narayanswamy said that no individual, regardless of their political influence or power, should be allowed to intimidate officers. He demanded that in all such cases, including the Shidlaghatta incident, First Information Reports be registered without delay and stringent legal action be initiated against the accused to restore confidence in governance and the rule of law.
