‘Rusted System’ Under Scanner: Karnataka Plans Citizen Hotline To Report Corrupt Cops, Officials

Last Updated:June 17, 2026, 11:03 IST

Minister Priyank Kharge said the home department was working on a mechanism through which citizens can directly approach the government if they are asked for bribes

Stung by a string of corruption scandals involving police personnel, the Karnataka government is now working on a dedicated hotline that will allow citizens to directly report instances of bribery, harassment and abuse of power by police officers and government officials.

Home minister Priyank Kharge said the home department was working on a mechanism through which citizens can directly approach the government if they are asked for bribes or subjected to harassment by officials.

That effort will now begin with a direct citizen complaint mechanism—a hotline that the government hopes will allow people to bypass the bureaucracy and report corrupt officials directly to the home minister’s office. A senior police officer, Labhu Ram, was also recently transferred to the home department as a special officer and will be entrusted with the effort to cleanse the system, sources said.

“We will implement such a system in our department soon," Kharge said, reiterating that chief minister DK Shivakumar has a no-tolerance policy and had already directed officials to ensure that complaints of corruption and misconduct are acted upon promptly.

The move comes at a particularly awkward moment for the government.

Just days ago, three Karnataka police personnel posted at Bengaluru’s HAL police station were arrested by Rajasthan’s Anti-Corruption Bureau in a case that has embarrassed the state police and triggered fresh questions about corruption within the force.

On June 13, Rajasthan ACB officials arrested sub-inspector Anita K and head constables Yatish Kumar and Ulvappa after allegedly catching them accepting a bribe from an accused in a dowry harassment case.

According to investigators, the Karnataka Police team had travelled to Jaipur as part of the probe. The officers allegedly demanded Rs 2 lakh from the accused in return for providing relief and weakening the case. Rajasthan ACB officials subsequently laid a trap at a Jaipur hotel, where one of the officers was allegedly caught accepting Rs 40,000.

The Karnataka government suspended all three personnel and ordered a probe to determine whether any senior officers were involved. “What has happened is not right. They have been suspended. It is also being verified if any senior police officers were involved in this," Kharge said.

Kharge also conceded that the incident had brought major disrepute to Karnataka and the police department, particularly because those entrusted with protecting citizens were themselves accused of exploiting them.

Admitting the latest case has been a major embarrassment, Kharge also described it as a “rusted system" that needs to change.

The Jaipur arrests, however, are only the latest in a growing list of corruption cases involving police personnel across Karnataka. In August 2024, the Lokayukta arrested two Bengaluru constables in separate bribery cases. One allegedly demanded money to file a chargesheet, while another was accused of threatening a citizen with a false criminal case unless a bribe was paid.

Six months later, in February 2025, a sub-inspector and his associates in Devanahalli came under investigation for allegedly demanding Rs 70,000 to file a chargesheet in a POCSO case. A constable was caught accepting part of the money during a trap operation.

The same month, KP Agrahara police inspector Govindaraju was arrested after allegedly accepting a Rs 4 lakh bribe linked to a chit-fund dispute.

Earlier this June, a police assistant sub-inspector in Mysuru was arrested for allegedly accepting a bribe in exchange for granting station bail. Around the same time, two police officers in Hubballi were suspended after corruption allegations surfaced against them.

The allegations range from demanding money to file chargesheets and influence investigations to seeking bribes for bail-related relief, weakening criminal cases and providing favourable police action.

The controversy has also given the BJP fresh ammunition against the Congress government.

The BJP, led by Leader of Opposition R Ashoka, launched a scathing attack on Priyank Kharge and the home department, arguing that corruption within the police force had spiralled under the current government.

“Police in the Congress government are the thieves themselves," Ashoka said in a post on X, claiming that more than 120 police personnel had already faced suspension in cases involving serious misconduct.

Ashoka accused the government of allowing the prestige of the police department to erode and said that Karnataka was being embarrassed nationally because of incidents such as the Rajasthan arrests.

Kharge hit back, accusing the BJP of selective outrage. “When BJP leaders R Ashoka, Araga Jnanendra and Basavaraj Bommai were in charge of the Home Department, were all police stations functioning perfectly? Was there no bribery then?" he questioned.

The minister argued that corruption within the system was a legacy issue that had accumulated over years and could not be blamed on one government alone. Still, unlike previous administrations, he said, the government was willing to publicly acknowledge the problem and attempt to fix it.

About the Author

Rohini Swamy

Rohini Swamy, Associate Editor at News18, has been a journalist for nearly two decades in the television and digital space. She covers south India for News18’s digital platform. She has previously wor...Read More

News india ‘Rusted System’ Under Scanner: Karnataka Plans Citizen Hotline To Report Corrupt Cops, Officials

Read More