Kalaburagi, 5 September

Home Minister Priyank Kharge said on Saturday that police in Karnataka are among the best paid compared to their counterparts in other states and questioned why they are repeatedly taking bribes. 

“Karnataka is among the states that pay its police personnel the highest salaries. Despite this, some are still extending their hands for money,” he said in Kalaburagi response to a question about repeated incidents in Kalaburagi district in which police personnel have been caught accepting bribes during Lokayukta raids. “An IAS officer himself has been caught in the KPSC irregularities. Earlier, an IPS officer was arrested in connection with the PSI recruitment scam. Do they really receive low salaries?”

PRISONS OVERPACKED 

Priyank said that the government was examining the Hitendra Committee Report regarding the prisons in Karnataka. The Committee was formed last year after inmates were found with mobile phones and television sets. 

Most prisons in Karnataka, including Parappana Agrahara Central Prison, are housing more inmates than their sanctioned capacity, Priyank said. “New prisons are being constructed, and steps are being taken to shift several inmates to them.”

Further, he said that measures will be taken to create employment opportunities for prisoners while they are in jail. Counselling will also be provided after assessing the mental well-being of inmates.