By P.T. Bopanna
Though she is a tough cop who has shown the local politicians their place, Kodagu SP Katiyar seems to forget that she is working in a democratic set-up and not a banana republic.
Recently she had called a press conference and told the journalists not to ask any questions. “I will not entertain any questions. Whatever information I give, that’s it,” she told the news hounds.
It is a fact that Katiyar is a capable officer who has been instrumental in solving some of the major cases in Kodagu. Apparently, she lacks communication skills to deal with the media. Nobody can force her to answer all the questions. She can always maintain that the “matter is under investigation”.
This is not a one-off incident involving the SP. In the past also, she has refused to share information with the media in cases relating to attack on homestays and the murder of a former zilla panchayat president. It is time the SP changes her style of functioning.
This reporter who has covered crime news extensively in the formative years of his career, remembers B.N. Garudachar, the head of Karnataka police in the 1980s, used to pick up the phone himself even during late nights to answer queries from journalists. It was because of Garudachar’s efficiency, chief minister Ramakrishna Hegde picked him for the top job, bypassing his senior.
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/480912/sp-calls-press-meet-refuses.html
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