Two agricultural officers in Mandya district have been apprehended by the CID in connection with a “counterfeit letter” that was directed to Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot. The letter falsely accused state Agriculture Minister N Chaluvarayaswamy of seeking bribes. The officers were taken into custody from KR Pet in the district for drafting the fabricated letter on behalf of seven assistant agriculture directors.
In July, a letter arrived at Raj Bhavan alleging that the minister was pressuring agriculture department officials and employees, through the joint director of agriculture, to pay bribes ranging from Rs 6 lakh to Rs 8 lakh. The letter even contained threats of group suicide if the practice of demanding bribes wasn’t curbed. Consequently, the Governor forwarded the letter to Chief Secretary Vandita Sharma for investigation. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Chaluvarayaswamy both dismissed the letter as fraudulent and accused the opposition BJP and JD(S) of being implicated. Siddaramaiah subsequently handed over the case to the CID, resulting in the arrest of the two officers.
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