Himalaya Harbinger, Rudrapur Bureau
IPS officer Vartika Katiyar was on Monday transferred days after she had accused inspector general (IG) D Roopa Moudgil of orchestrating unauthorised access to her office and planting confidential documents from other departments.
According to an order, the 2010-batch IPS officer has been posted as DIG and additional commandant general, home guards and ex-officio additional director, civil defence, Bengaluru. Roopa is currently posted in the internal security division as the inspector general of police (IGP).
Vartika Katiyar, IPS (2010), Deputy Inspector General of Police, Internal Security Division, Bengaluru is transferred with immediate effect and posted until further orders as Deputy Inspector General of Police & Additional Commandant General, Home Guards & Ex-officio Additional Director, Civil Defence, Bengaluru in the downgraded vacant post,” an official notification dated March 3 stated.
In a complaint dated February 20, submitted to Karnataka chief secretary Shalini Rajneesh and copied to director general of police (DGP) Alok Mohan, Katiyar said that on September 6, 2024, two personnel under Roopa’s direction entered her office, took photographs of documents, and circulated them via WhatsApp.
According to the complaint, head constable Manjunath TS and home guard Mallikarjun accessed Katiyar’s chamber using keys obtained from the control room during her absence. “They admitted to entering my office room at Roopa’s behest and planting the files,” Katiyar wrote. “Official and confidential documents are stored in my office room. Unauthorised entry, especially after office hours, is a crime,” she further said.
Katiyar also alleged that Roopa might use unauthorised entry to take revenge against her and warned that the senior officer would be held “directly responsible” for any untoward incident happening in her office from now on. “She has threatened to take revenge against me once she becomes the DG&IGP. She also threatened to tamper with my annual appraisal,” Katiyar said, urging the chief secretary to take action against Roopa.
In the complaint, she expressed concerns that similar incidents might occur in the future, emphasising that she had only recently become aware of the September 6 event. “I came to know about the matter recently… several (such) incidents … may have taken place in the past, but this has come to my notice. In the future, incidents like this may repeat, and if anything wrong happens, D Roopa will be directly responsible,” she stated.
Following these allegations, the government issued the transfer order. The order also noted that the new post is considered equivalent in status to the cadre post of deputy inspector general of police (DIG), criminal investigation department, under Rule 12 of IPS (Pay) Rules 2016.
D Roopa didn’t answer the calls made by HT for a comment.
