Kalluri, who has been accused of human rights excesses by human rights activists and even the Congress in the past, was an important figure as Inspector General of ACB and EOW, and more importantly, the head of SITs probing issues such as the PDS ‘scam’ that the government considers significant.

The appointment of this controversial officer to the post had raised eyebrows given the serious charges of intimidation, human rights excesses that he had faced during his tenure in Bastar, made by Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel when he was in the opposition. Kalluri’s appointment to the key anti-graft posts had also ruffled feathers within the police department and senior bureaucracy, with many displeased with his appointment, and unhappy with his new proximity to the Chief Minister Last week,  as many as 15 MPs had written to Baghel, asking him to set up an “overarching inquiry that looks into the actions” of IG SRP Kalluri during his tenure in Bastar.

The letter signed by MPs from Kerala, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Tripura, had said, “The excesses and illegalities committed by him remain unpunished. We request you to set up an overarching inquiry that looks into his actions for the last 5 years and punishes him for his misdeeds. We are bringing this fact to light in the context of the massive mandate you have received in order to bring peace and development to the region.”

On January 4, 2019, news of his promotion came in. This controversial former Bastar Inspector General of Police SRP Kalluri as the head of the Economic Offences Wing and the Anti-Corruption Bureau in state capital Raipur.
 
The 1994-batch IPS officer had served as IG of Bastar Range from June 2014 to February 2017. During his posting in the Naxal hotbed, Kalluri had faced criticism for alleged fake encounters and targeting local journalists, social and human rights activists. In February 2017 Kalluri was moved out of Bastar and transferred to PHQ, Raipur.
 
The decision had shocked many as current CM of state, Bhupesh Baghel, had called Kalluri a rapist and had demanded he be thrown in jail when he was a part of the Opposition. He had launched an extensive tirade against him in 2016. “The Congress government led by Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel was widely expected to investigate Kalluri’s track record of alleged human rights violations. In October 2016, as the state Congress president, Baghel had asked for Kalluri to be jailed. However, his government appears to have rewarded the controversial officer by appointing him to key posts,” a report said.
 

The post Chhattisgarh Govt transfers controversial cop Kalluri, moves him to transport commissioner appeared first on SabrangIndia.

 
Raipur: The Congress-led Chhattisgarh government on Wednesday appointed controversial former Bastar Inspector General of Police SRP Kalluri as the head of the Economic Offences Wing and the Anti-Corruption Bureau in state capital Raipur.
 
The 1994-batch IPS officer had served as IG of Bastar Range from June 2014 to February 2017. During his posting in the Naxal hotbed, Kalluri had faced criticism for alleged fake encounters and targeting local journalists, social and human rights activists. In February 2017 Kalluri was moved out of Bastar and transferred to PHQ, Raipur.
 
The decision has shocked many as current CM of state, Bhupesh Baghel, had called Kalluri a rapist and had demanded he be thrown in jail when he was a part of the Opposition. He had launched an extensive tirade against him in 2016. “The Congress government led by Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel was widely expected to investigate Kalluri’s track record of alleged human rights violations. In October 2016, as the state Congress president, Baghel had asked for Kalluri to be jailed. However, his government appears to have rewarded the controversial officer by appointing him to key posts,” a report said.
 
Kalluri, who has been accused of human rights violations in the past, had been transferred out of Bastar in February 2017 after a mob attacked activist and scholar Bela Bhatia. He was posted in the training department in the police headquarters. A month later, he was sent notices for indiscipline after he attended an event where a police officer said human rights activists should be crushed on the roads and he was not the only official who held such views.
 
Other officers who are equally tainted have also been retained.
 
Late on Wednesday, the government issued orders transferring five senior police officers, days after I K Elsela was transferred to Bastar as SP of Narayanpur district. Elsela was posted out of Sukma after he told a gathering that rights activists should be run over by vehicles.
 
A leaked internal memo of the Central Bureau of Investigation showed that the agency suspected Kalluri’s involvement in the violence that took place in three Adivasi villages in 2011. The villagers of Tadmetla, Morpalli and Teemapuram alleged the security forces burnt down over 300 homes, killed three men and raped three women in the course of an anti-Maoist operation. Kalluri, who was then the senior superintendent of police in Dantewada, was the officer responsible for the operation.
 
The National Human Rights Commission has earlier sent Kalluri notices for hearings into allegations of human rights violations, but he has avoided them, citing personal reasons.
 
Kalluri had garnered fame for making 1200 Naxals surrender when a government constituted committee report found that only three out of 1200 were actually Naxalites. The rest were innocent Adivasis. There are more accounts against him including a woman who claimed that he shot her Naxalite husband after asking him to surrender and raped her.
 
Six senior Indian Police Service officers, including three Inspector Generals of Police (IGPs) were a part of this bureaucratic reshuffle. “Arun Deo Gautam, a 1992-batch IPS officer currently Additional Director General (ADG) at the Crime Investigation Department (CID), has been shifted to mantralaya (Secretariat) as secretary of home, jail and transport departments. IGP Durg Range G P Singh was shifted and appointed IG at PHQ Raipur. Deputy Inspector General (Dantewada Range) Ratan Lal Dangi, a 2003-batch IPS officer, has been made in-charge IGP of Durg Range. Similarly, IGP Raipur Range Dipanshu Kabra has been shifted as IG, PHQ Raipur, while Anand Chhabra, a 2001-batch IPS officer, who is the special secretary in home, jail and transport departments, has been made new in-charge IGP of Raipur Range. On Wednesday night, the government had replaced Chief Secretary Ajay Singh with Sunil Kujur, a 1986-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer,” The Business Standard reported.
 

The post Bhupesh Baghel, who derided Kalluri in 2016 now rewards him with key post in Chhattisgarh appeared first on SabrangIndia.

There was however no sign of him till 3pm and then suddenly we were told that he has “appeared” on the stage. It was informed by several residents of IIMC that he had been lodged much earlier inside IIMC campus by the organizers so as to avoid the protestors. We continued our protest outside. Now the question is why is Mr. Kalluri so scared of even placards, slogans and questions from students? What makes him scared to face protests? Why couldn’t the so called “Bastar tiger” muster enough courage to even face largely a group of students?

That’s because our questions are far more heavier than his smug arrogance. It’s because we have the power to tear apart the halo and show the real horror that he has unleashed in Bastar while he was an IG there. The protesters today made it clear that it is simply unacceptable to invite an ex-IG who is the architect of a Satya Judgment type vigilante gang; one who has presided over numerous instances of fake encounters, gang-rapes, torture and fake arrests of the adivasis; and one who has been sent on “long leave” after an investigation by the NHRC due to gross human right violations. He has also in fact presided over the threats, attacks and hounding of all those voices that have dared to expose his bloody tenure. This includes Soni Sori, Lingaram Kodopi, Bela Bhatia, Nandini Sundar and so on. He even went to the extent of telling a journalist, Kamal Shukla, “Either leave journalism, or leave Bastar.” The protestors today condemned the IIMC administration for inviting such a character to lecture on “journalism”. We condemned the design of the IIMC administration to produce stenographers instead of journalists, ones who will jot ask question, who will not look for the truth, but will parrot the likes of Kalluri. The protestors raised their voice against not just the individual or an institution, but also demanded an end to the war on people being waged by the state-corporate nexus to facilitate the loot of resources at the cost of thousands of adivasi lives and livelihood. Kalluri has just been one of its hit-men. We thereby reiterated our demand of ending Operation Green Hunt and pledged to stand by the struggle of the adivasis for their jal-jangal-jameen.

Some have put forth the question as to why did we protest Kalluri’s invitation to IIMC. They asked, aren’t we who talk about free speech not being hypocritical here? Well, Kalluri throttled free speech every day in Bastar, he arrested activists and journalists, he sent goons to intimidate anyone speaking out. The express agenda being to make the ongoing brutal war against adivasis a war without witness. In such a context to protest against Kalluri, in fact, becomes an act of defending free speech, and not the other way around. Ultimately, the fight for free speech is fundamentally a fight against power.

From Bastar Solidarity Network – Delhi Chapter, we congratulate and salute all those who stood their ground today and raised their fists, their placards and their slogans against the killer Kalluri, against Operation Green Hunt, against the puppet IIMC administration and the powers that be.

Courtesy: Kafila.online
 

The post “Killer Kalluri go back”: Protest over IIMC invite to cop slammed by NHRC for serious rights violations in Bastar appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Exchange of SMSs between Kalluri and advocate Piyoli upon demanding security for Bela Bhatia / DailyO
 

The post F U Kalluri: Going, Going… Gone? appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Image: News18

Sundarraj P, Dantewada deputy inspector general (DIG) of police has been put in charge of Bastar Range in south Chhattisgarh.

Kalluri has been a controversial figure and has had a running battle with civil rights activists and the media of the region. He was again in the news earlier this month after activist Bela Bhatia came under attack from a local outfit believed to be supporting the police in the fight against Maoists.

Kalluri has often been quoted telling journalists from outside the state that they were not welcome in the insurgency-hit region. Several journalists are still in jail in Chhattisgarh after being charged with complicity with Maoists. According to activists, these journalists have been framed.

Media reports state that Kalluri has been unwell for a while. In November last year, he was admitted to hospital with kidney and heart problems. An officer looked after the Bastar region while he was away on medical leave.

Top sources said this time Kalluri may not return to Bastar after he comes back from medical leave.

Related Articles:
1. "It doesn’t seem like the Chhattisgarh government is listening to the Supreme Court"
2. Chief Secretary, Chhattisgarh & IGP Bastar Summoned by NHRC
 

The post Chhattisgarh top cop Kalluri goes on medical leave, may not return to Bastar appeared first on SabrangIndia.