BENGALURU, 4 FEB 

A significant financial scandal involving the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has emerged, with accusations of embezzlement amounting to Rs 160 crore linked to the BBMP’s marshal services. Complaints have been lodged with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Lokayukta against BBMP Commissioner Tushar Girinath, Chief Marshal Rajveer Singh, and 16 other senior officials.

In 2017, the BBMP established a marshal programme aimed at supervising waste management, following a resolution endorsed by the state government. However, it is alleged that this initiative was misused, with marshals fraudulently assigned to safeguard lakes, waste management units, and Indira canteens. Reports suggest that over 700 marshals were appointed under false pretences, leading to the misappropriation of hundreds of crores annually.

RTI activist and BJP leader NR Ramesh has alleged that despite directives to recruit only retired army personnel, many non-veterans were employed as marshals. Each marshal is reportedly paid a salary of Rs 25,000, yet the actual amount received is just Rs 17,000 to Rs 18,000. Additionally, while the BBMP took out Rs 5 lakh insurance policies for each marshal, concerns have arisen regarding unclaimed insurance money when marshals were hospitalised, resulting in the BBMP covering medical expenses instead.

In an unrelated incident, a former BBMP data entry operator was arrested in October 2023 for allegedly defrauding over 200 individuals by promising marshal jobs, collecting Rs 3,000 from each job aspirant.

The State Auditor has raised alarm over missing records worth more than Rs 16 crore related to marshal services, with several objections lodged in recent years that BBMP officials appear to have disregarded, fuelling suspicions of complicity.

Calls for a high-level judicial inquiry have intensified, with demands for the official recording of senior officials’ involvement. The ED and Lokayukta are currently investigating these serious allegations.