Amidst a raging controversy over alleged irregularities in Parappana Agrahara Central Prison raised by D. Roopa, the State government, on Monday, transferred her out of the Prisons Department. The State government has issued orders transferring her to the post of Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Commissioner for Traffic and Road Safety, Bengaluru.

This comes on a day that senior retired bureaucrat Vinay Kumar is expected to begin his probe into the irregularities in prison, including special facilities being extended to AIADMK general secretary V.K. Sasikala and kingpin of the stamp paper racket Abdul Karim Telgi.

The State government had issued notices to Ms. Roopa for violating service rules and going public over allegations against other senior officials. Incidentally, she took charge as DIG (Prisons) only on June 21 and has been transferred out even before a month of her last posting.

Report

Sources said that Director General (Prisons) H.N. Satyanarayana Rao, against whom Ms. Roopa cast aspersions in her letter, also submitted a report to the State government alleging that the source of ill will between prison officials and Ms. Roopa stemmed from her dissatisfaction over division of work between senior officers in the department. He too has been transferred; however, the State government is yet to indicate which department he has been transferred to.

However, other prison officials against whom allegations flew thick and fast have not been transferred.

Other key transfers

Meanwhile, the government has posted N.S. Megharik as Additional Director General of Police (Prisons). He was ADGP, Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) and a former Bengaluru police commissioner.

In another significant development, M.N. Reddi, the State intelligence chief, has also been shunted out in less than four months after he took charge of the key position. Sources said that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had recently been unhappy over the mishandling of law and order situation in Dakshina Kannada district, apart from how the prison row went out of hand, embarrassing the state government. Mr. Reddi has been posted as DGP, ACB.