It was nothing new for Roopa Divakar Moudgil who has been transferred from her post as DIG Prisons, a post she took over barely a month ago. All because she highlighted corruption and preferential treatment given to AIADMK general secretary V. K. Sasikala in Bengaluru central jail. After all, she has been transferred every year, sometimes even twice, in her 17- year-long career. In a letter, addressed to the Prisons DGP, Roopa had listed several wrongdoings in the jail. According to the letter: A special kitchen is functioning for Sasikala, which is in violation of the prescribed rules. The letter also states that there are rumours of these activities taking place with the DGP’s knowledge and that Rs 2 crore was allegedly given for this special treatment.
Once crowned Miss Davangere, Roopa is not the first to get this treatment from her superiors. A few months back the ‘new and cleaner’ UP government rewarded DSP Shrestha Thakur with a posting when she fined an errant BJP worker on a two-wheeler; and DIG Sonia Narang was transferred being the catalyst in bringing to light the scam in anti-corruption watchdog, Lokayukta. It is all happening when the Supreme Court ruling says that a senior officer who has been granted a fixed tenure cannot be transferred midway because the political establishment so desires. The ruling came in the context of the Kerala government’s decision to remove an IPS officer T.P. Senkumar as DGP before his two-year term got over. Fiery women police officers taking on the system and later paying a price for it doesn’t seem unusual in India. Not many male names we can recollect – Kiran Bedi heads the list. But this is India special.
