Hassan: Even as Hassan district minister KM Shivalingegowda has intervened in the Hassan DC versus Hassan SP row, IAS officer KS Latha Kumari on Tuesday defended her decision to issue a notice to IPS officer Shubanwita.
DC said a ban on immersion had been imposed based on a report submitted by Hassan tahsildar on Oct 3, citing pollution. The action was intended to protect the water source and not to hurt religious sentiments, she said, adding that the Ganesh idol immersed at the pond on Oct 3 had not been permitted by any authority.
She told reporters that it is an administrative issue which, she said, she would not like to discuss in public. “I had to take the decision as it was a matter of public safety,” she stated. It concerns the immersion of a Ganesh idol at Devigere pond and is purely an administrative matter and has no political or personal motive, she said. DC said Devigere pond, located in the heart of Hassan city, has historical and religious significance and protecting its sanctity and the water body is the responsibility of the district administration. “If an accident had occurred during the immersion, the district administration would have been held accountable for negligence,” she said. She said linking the issue to caste, personal background or other considerations was inappropriate and urged people not to spread misleading information. But Kumari has come under scrutiny as former minister and senior JD(S) MLA HD Revanna said that he too could be served a notice after SP. Speaking to reporters, he said a committee had been formed for the cleaning and conservation of Devigere without bringing the matter to his notice, despite him being the local MLA.
He questioned why restrictions had been imposed on the immersion of a Ganesh idol when Ganesh immersion had been taking place at the location for decades. Hassan MLA HP Swaroop Prakash accused DC of acting like the district minister and ignoring the views of elected representatives and locals. He alleged that DC had taken a unilateral decision without obtaining proper information and was now citing the history and religious significance of Devigere to justify the decision.
Prakash also demanded that the notice issued to SP be withdrawn immediately and warned of a protest in front of DC’s office. The MLA also urged district minister and MP to intervene in the matter and take responsibility instead of distancing themselves from the issue.