Cops take bribe from cattle-smugglers and sleep like dogs: Karnataka home minister

Karnataka home minister Araga Jnanendra has slammed a section of the state police in a viral video, saying they take bribes from cattle-smugglers and “sleep like dogs”, letting the culprits operate with impunity.

In the clip, Jnanendra is purportedly seen shouting at a police officer over phone for their failure to check theft and smuggling of cattle, especially cows, a report in PTI said.

“Those who are transporting cattle are habitual offenders. Your officers know it well but they take bribe and sleep like dogs. Your police need self-esteem,” the minister is heard saying.

“I did not say anything till now but should I continue as a home minister or not?” he asks, and claims cattle smuggling is going on in Chikkamagaluru and Shivamogga districts.

“The entire police force is rotten today. We are giving salary but no one wants to live only on the salary. They want to live on the leftover (bribe),” Jnanendra adds.

He later clarified that he was not talking about all police officers but a section of them.

He, however, said in his village in Teerthalli Taluk of Shivamogga district, that cattle smugglers in their vehicles tried to run over two animal rights activists when they tried to stop them.

“Their (activists) condition was so serious that I arranged their admission in the Manipal Hospital in Bengaluru. I was deeply hurt. This is an inhumane act,” Jnanendra said.

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He alleged that some policemen were not acting tough against the smugglers despite being armed with a new law banning cow slaughter in the state.

“Some policemen were hand in glove with them. Against this backdrop, I spoke with anger (in the video),” Jnanendra clarified.

He alleged the smugglers come to the cattle owners with machetes in Malnad region and forcibly take away their cattle.

The Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Act, 2020, was introduced last year in the state and came into effect from February. Under the law, slaughter of cattle will lead to imprisonment of up to three to seven years and a fine ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 5 lakh, and subsequent offences will attract imprisonment of up to seven years and a fine from Rs one lakh to Rs 10 lakh.

Recently, many animal rights activists such as the members of Go Gyan Foundation were allegedly attacked by the smugglers and owners of slaughter houses in various parts of Karnataka including Bengaluru.

The NGO members alleged that the police were not acting against the culprits and were letting them go scot-free.