FIR against BJP MLC Ravi Kumar for his 'Pakistani' remark against Kalaburagi deputy commissioner

    Kalaburagi (Karnataka), May 27 (PTI) An FIR has been registered against BJP MLC N Ravikumar in connection with the alleged "Pakistani" remark he made against Kalaburagi deputy commissioner Fouzia Tarannum, police said on Tuesday.

    The alleged comments were made by the MLC during a BJP protest held on May 24, they said.


    Expressing regret, he withdrew his statement, calling it a "slip of tongue." The IAS Officers' Association came to the support of Tarannum.


    Ravikumar had accused the IAS officer of working on the orders of the Congress party and had reportedly said, "She seems to have come from Pakistan."
    A case against the BJP MLC was registered at the Station Bazaar police station and the matter is being investigated, a senior police officer said.


    Condemning the incident, the IAS Officers' Association demanded an "unconditional apology" from Kumar for his "irresponsible and unacceptable comments".
    "Fouzia Tarannum, IAS is an officer of impeccable integrity with an exemplary track record and deep dedication to public service and the State."
    "Remarks made by Ravi Kumar against her are baseless, unjustified, and entirely devoid of rationale. Such provocative and false statements not only malign the dignity of committed civil servants but also inflict severe mental trauma and amount to harassment in the line of duty," it said in a statement.
    The Association said it stands in firm solidarity with Tarannum and expressed its deep concern over this attempt to publicly undermine the reputation of an officer serving the people of Karnataka with sincerity, distinction and dedicated service in general.


    The BJP MLC in a statement expressed deep regret for his "intemperate but inadvertent" remarks made against the Deputy Commissioner.


    "It was a slip of the tongue and I made these intemperate remarks inadvertently. I express my regret. I have withdrawn these remarks. I hold the officer in high esteem and I have no complaints whatsoever about her professional competency and integrity," he added.


    Condemning the BJP MLC's statement, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that Ravikumar's statement is "intolerable", and it is something that creates hate.


    "So, the Police have booked a criminal case against him, I strongly condemn his statement," he told reporters.


    Deputy CM D K Shivakumar said, this is the respect the BJP shows to a woman officer. The government will take action.


    "I seek an explanation from the BJP President and central Ministers on this...IAS officers and a lot of other officers met me this morning, they were shocked, she is a very clean integrity officer, a woman," he told reporters.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)