Votegate: Karnataka government suspends DC, special commissioner

Obeying the Election Commission of India's (ECI) order, the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR) on Saturday suspended Bengaluru Urban Deputy Commissioner K Srinivas and BBMP Special Commissioner (Administration) S Rangappa.

On Friday, the ECI ordered the state government to immediately suspend Srinivas, who is also the Additional District Election Officer-cum-Bengaluru Urban Deputy Commissioner, and initiate a departmental inquiry against him.

The ECI ordered similar action against Rangappa, who is the Additional District Election Officer (BBMP-Central), in charge of Shivajinagar and Chickpet assembly constituencies.

The ECI swung into action following allegations that Chilume Educational, Cultural and Rural Development Institute, a Bengaluru-based NGO, collected sensitive voter data from citizens in the name of creating voter awareness.

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Chilume workers were able to do so because the BBMP issued them ID cards that identified them as Booth Level Officers (BLOs). BLO cards are issued only to government employees such as schoolteachers, meter readers and Anganwadi workers.

Police have also launched a criminal investigation into the matter.

Rangappa declined to comment on the ECI action but said all the files related to the Chilume case were seen by the BBMP chief commissioner.

"As per the standard practice, all files go to the (chief) commissioner. The files that came to me also went to the commissioner," he told DH.

Rangappa stressed that he had no personal interest in the matter. "I have never seen that person. Even today, I don't know the person (from Chilume)," he added.

He confirmed receiving the suspension order from the DPAR.

Srinivas did not answer phone calls seeking comment.