Bengaluru, Oct 31 (NationPress) Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje criticized the Siddaramaiah government after a heartbroken father revealed that he was compelled to pay bribes to an ambulance driver, law enforcement, crematorium personnel, and civic authorities while grieving the loss of his only daughter.

The Karnataka Police Department has taken action by suspending two police officers involved in this matter.

The incident, which occurred in Bengaluru, raised significant concerns after the father shared his experience on social media.

Karnataka's Home Minister, G. Parameshwara, responded to the allegations, asserting that if the accusations are validated, the suspended officers will face dismissal from their positions. Shobha Karandlaje, the Union Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Labour & Employment, condemned the Congress government, labeling it as rife with corruption.

Karandlaje stated, “Recruitments are made based on bribes. Officers resort to corruption to recover their investments. All of this occurs under the watch of the Chief Minister. CM Siddaramaiah’s son, Yathindra Siddaramaiah, is facing serious allegations regarding the collection of large sums for job placements.”

She further claimed, “Don’t even bring up Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar. In his office and residence, individuals must pay to have their files processed. Others are barred from entry. This is the reality in Karnataka.”

Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh announced on Friday that a team led by the ACP of the Cyber Economic and Narcotics (CEN) division is probing the situation. “Two police officers have been suspended. The information was received via a social media post, prompting a preliminary investigation into the officers' conduct. A sub-inspector and another staff member have been suspended, with further inquiries ongoing,” he indicated.

Home Minister Parameshwara emphasized, “We take incidents of bribery very seriously, whether it involves Rs 1,000 or Rs 5,000. We will not tolerate it. Immediate action was taken once this case surfaced.”

“The staffers are suspended, a departmental inquiry is underway, and if the allegations are substantiated, they will either face suspension or dismissal. Strict measures will be adopted for any similar incidents reported to senior officials,” he continued.

“I have issued standing orders regarding this issue. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has also stressed this point in official meetings. We will not condone such behavior. Directions have been given to the DGP and IGP,” Parameshwara added.

A previous alarming event in Bengaluru revealed demands for bribes to perform a post-mortem on a deceased young woman. The 64-year-old father, already devastated by the loss of his daughter, faced demands for illicit payments. Distressed, he recounted his harrowing experience in a Facebook post.

Akshaya, the daughter of Shivakumar, a retired CFO at Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, passed away on September 18 due to a brain hemorrhage. Upon receiving the news, her parents traveled from Mumbai to Bengaluru. The ambulance driver allegedly demanded Rs 2,000 above the fixed cost of Rs 5,000 to transport the body from Kasuvinahalli to Koramangala Hospital.

During the post-mortem, the police reportedly acted rudely while soliciting money.

Father Shivakumar expressed on social media X, “Recently, my only child passed away at the age of 34. I faced blatant bribery for the ambulance, police for filing the FIR and post-mortem report, crematorium for issuing the receipt, and the BBMP office for the death certificate — I paid all of it. The inspector at Bellandur Police Station was incredibly arrogant, showing no compassion for a father mourning his only child. This is a very sad state of affairs. I had the means to pay — but what options do the less fortunate have?”