When DK Shivakumar took on new CBI chief Praveen Sood: ‘He should be arrested’

The police had filed several cases against Congress workers, with some of the cases registered after the party ran the “PayCM” anti-corruption campaign against then Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. A controversy erupted in March after BJP workers erected an arch in Mandya hailing Vokkaliga chieftains Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda who, some claim, killed 18th-century Mysuru ruler Tipu Sultan. But historians contest the claim. The arch came up ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Mandya.

With no action taken against those who erected the controversial arch, Shivakumar hit out at the 59-year-old police chief. “At least 25 cases have been registered against us but why have no cases been registered against BJP workers? This DGP (Praveen Sood) is a ‘nalayak (good for nothing)’. 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 said.

The appointment on Sunday came a day after the Congress swept to power in Karnataka, winning 135 of the 224 seats. The CBI is currently investigating a disproportionate assets case against Shivakumar and in December conducted searches at properties belonging to the Congress leader as well as at educational institutions run by his family. The case dates back to allegations dating back to the time Shivakumar was a minister in the Congress-led state government. Last month, a single-judge Bench of the Karnataka High Court dismissed Shivakumar’s appeal against the CBI investigation. Another appeal by Shivakumar challenging the First Information Report filed under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act will be heard on May 30.

Who is Sood?

Sood was promoted to DGP rank in January 2020 and is the longest-serving head of the police force in the southern state. Sood hails from Himachal Pradesh and is a graduate of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi. He joined the Indian Police Service in 1986 as assistant superintendent of Police in Mysuru. A Karnataka cadre officer, Sood served in various positions and from 1999 to 2002 was the police advisor to the government of Mauritius, where he was exposed to European and American police techniques.

He took a sabbatical in 2003 to pursue his Post Graduation in Public Policy and Management from the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, and the Maxwell School of Governance at New York’s Syracuse University. The following year, he was posted as the Commissioner of Police of Mysuru, where his focus was on transforming the traffic situation through various campaigns, mechanical and engineering improvements, and better enforcement.

During his tenure as the Bengaluru city police chief, Sood launched “Namma 100”, an emergency response system for citizens in distress. The system managed by multilingual “Communication Officers” promised to pick up every call within 15 seconds and visit every scene of distress within 15 minutes with the support of 276 emergency response vehicles spread throughout the city. He also launched the “Suraksha” and “Pink Hoyasala” apps managed by all-women police officials, especially for women and children in distress.