CM Siddaramaiah warns cops on hobnobbing with criminals

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday warned of stringent action against policemen who hobnob with realtors and criminals.

He said no crime can take place without the knowledge of police and hence the senior officials should always interact with ordinary citizens to obtain information on illegal activities taking place in a locality.

“Policemen should not be involved in hobnobbing with real estate dealers. I am telling you in clear terms that if we come to know about it, we will take stringent action,” Siddaramaiah told reporters after inaugurating the 2024 Senior Police Officers Conference here.

He said drug peddling, rowdyism, theft, robbery and gambling cannot happen without the knowledge of local police.

“It’s not possible that these things can operate without the knowledge of local police. In some places, policemen get involved with such criminals,” the CM said.

Siddaramaiah also underlined the need for a proper coordination between police and intelligence officials and opined that they lack it.

He also insisted that policemen stay away from politics and never display their political orientations.

In this context, the Chief Minister recalled an incident in Vijayapura where some policemen had openly displayed the symbol of a party.

“We will not tolerate any indiscipline in police force,” Siddaramaiah cautioned.