New CBI Director vs Karnataka Congress chief: When DK Shivakumar slammed IPS Praveen Sood, said ‘This DGP is…’

New CBI Director Praveen Sood was at loggerheads with Congress Karnataka unit chief DK Shivakumar just months ago in March. Shivakumar, who recently steered a remarkable win for Congress in the May 10 Karnataka Assembly polls, had slammed state DGP Sood, calling him “useless”.

Back in March, Shivakumar took on Sood accusing him of bias. Shivakumar claimed that the state police was booking Congress workers but was not taking action against BJP. The Congress leader said that his party would act against the DGP. The attack came after several cases had been registered against Congress workers by the Karnataka police. Some of these cases were filed after Congress carried out an anti-corruption campaign against then Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai dubbed ‘PayCM’. 

In another March incident, BJP workers fueled the Tipu Sultan row by erecting an arch hailing the two Vokkaliga chieftains, who allegedly assassinated the Mysuru king as per an ongoing claim, in Mandya. This occurred just before PM Modi’s visit to Mandya. As the BJP workers involved escaped action, Shivakumar had come out berating the state DGP.

“At least 25 cases have been registered against us but why have no cases been registered against BJP workers? This DGP is a ‘nalayak (useless)’. Let our government come. We will take action against him. The Congress had also written to the Election Commission to remove him. I thought he (Sood) was a respected man. Immediately, a case should be registered against him and he should be arrested,” Shivakumar was quoted by Indian Express as saying.

Sood, who is currently Karnataka’s Director General of Police (DGP), was appointed as the new Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) by a high-level selection committee on Sunday to replace outgoing Subodh Kumar Jaiswal. The 1986 batch IPS officer of the Karnataka cadre has had a decorated career spanning decades where he has held several key positions.