The India Against Corruption organised a rally on Saturday against the killing of senior KAS officer S.P. Mahantesh (48), Deputy Director, Karnataka Cooperative Societies’ Audit Department. IAC members alleged that central and state governments have not taken steps to protect whistle-blowers, leading to deaths of honest officers like Mr Mahantesh and other citizens, who risk their lives, fully in the knowledge of consequences, to save the country from corruption.
The governments should take responsibility and offer protection to whistleblowers. They should institute an impartial, transparent, speedy and a higher-level investigation into Mr Mahantesh’s killing. They should immediately enact a strong and effective whistleblower protection law. Nearly 300 IAC volunteers and general public took part in the rally from the KAS officer’s residence in Vittal Nagar to the Chamarajpet traffic signal on T.R. Mill Main Road. They lit candles at the traffic junction around 7.30 pm and offered condolence to the slain officer.
The volunteers said that the government is trying to divert the attention and mislead the public by indulging in character assassination of Mr Mahantesh, saying that he was involved with call girls. Initially, it was reported that the murder was linked to the officer’s investigation into a housing society scam, a property dispute and an MLA’s hand behind the murder. Instead of looking into these three angles, the government is looking at the officer’s personal life. This is an attempt at derailing the investigation, they said.
A week after Mr Mahantesh died in a hospital following an attack, the investigating teams have still not established the motive behind the murder and identified the culprits.