Anupama Mum on Facebook, Mom Worried at Home

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Richard Lasrado
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Anupama Mum on Facebook, Mom Worried at Home

Udupi: Mystery surrounds former Kudligi DySP Anupama Shenoy’s recent conduct, movements, and utterances, according to many of her acquaintances here.

To add to the intrigue of the whole episode, the Facebook warfare engaged in her name against the Establishment also went silent for a day at least on Saturday.

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Her family members were available to speak to only on Saturday, for the first time after her resignation was accepted by the government.

Her mother Nalini was in tears as she expressed concern over Anupama’s safety because, according to her, her daughter was not in touch with the family for three days.

She said that it was not correct on the part of the state government to have accepted her resignation in such a hurry. There was a time-frame of 90 days to consider it but the government relieved her immediately.

She said that Anupama has refused to come home until the injustice meted out to her was rectified. Nalini had good words for the Ballari police and Udupi SP Annamalai who tried to seek withdrawal of the resignation. But she had refused to speak to them.

She also said that the people of Ballari had a high opinion about SP Chetan there and also Anupama. But the politicians from there did not allow her to work in peace.

While she lived alone there, strangers used to knock at her door and make abusive calls in the nights in the past months.

When the mother suggested to her to seek a transfer, she had brushed it off saying that she had not done anything wrong and therefore there was no reason for her to move from there, according to Nalini.

Contradictions and confusion

When her friends and well-wishers were contacted, many questions were heard from Ballari, Udupi and Bengaluru and the issues beg immediate answers.

There is absolutely no doubt that she was being harassed, especially because she was all alone and unmarried, without any immediate physical, emotional and family support. She took on the people in power and the corrupt head-on.

Yet, she did not follow the code of discipline as expected of a police officer. Sending the resignation to the superiors through a constable, not seeking an appointment with the highers-up even to the level of DIG or home minister and the like when it was needed, have given rise to various suspicions.

The sudden volley of Facebook wall postings in her name against the politicians, media and others went on for a few days. Threats of releasing CD and audio clippings are certainly a kind of blackmail, which charges could be held against her.

Instead, she should have submitted such material to the police higher-ups or the home minister, feel many.

When she arrived in Kudligi to vacate her government accommodation, she first reportedly admitted that the Facebook posts were indeed her own. By afternoon, she denied that she ever had any Facebook account.

When the mediapersons asked her who was uploading the posts in her name, she said that she was not aware of it and shot back saying, ‘Go and ask those who are doing that.’ To put it simply, this is not done.

If and when someone was misusing her name and posting malicious comments, she, as a responsible serving police official, in particular, had a call of duty and a commitment to the society to complain to the cyber cell and trace the source.

Whether the posts were uploaded with her consent or collusion or not, it should be remembered that she was still in the police service, enjoying the official perks and benefits until the department would relieve her.

And to upload such posts or allow it to be done in her name and yet fail to complain about it certainly amounted to gross indiscipline.

She may have lost a large number of sympathizers and admirers on this count, according to many of her well-wishers.

On the contrary, the Kudligi press club has filed a complaint over the Facebook posts. She may have to explain the circumstances in due course.

It appears that in the difficult moments of pressure, she might have suffered from depression, says a one-time classmate. She taught at St Aloysius College in Mangaluru before joining the police service. Her past students recall her as a brave and bold woman and as a go-getter.

They refuse to believe that she could indulge in kind of a ‘hit-and-run’ or guerilla warfare in the social media instead of fighting the injustice head-on.

Many of those students feel that during her weak and vulnerable moments, she might have been influenced by vested interests. Her close relatives revealed that her family has had a leaning towards a right-wing organization for many years.

Hence, rumours are around that a woman politician from Udupi has already held a round of discussions to rope her in and given her an assurance of a ticket to fight the assembly election from there.

Anupama has avoided giving the correct picture to the public and her genuine well-wishers. On its part, the police machinery at the state capital is not as naive as it is made out to be.

Sources in Bengaluru said that every movement of hers after submitting the resignation was tracked down but not disclosed.

The police set-up cannot be blamed for accepting the resignation so fast. She arrived in Kudligi in the dead of the night last week. She had passed a word that she would meet the SP.

But later when the SP sought to have a discussion, she refused to meet him. A deputy of his went over to her official accommodation but he too was not entertained.

When every door was closed, in spite of the orders of the chief minister himself to the police brass to speak to her for a reconciliation, there was no suitable response from Anupama. The government was left with no option but accept her resignation.

Any disciplinary action against her at this juncture would give her an undue and additional edge of martyrdom. Hence, the government may have taken cautious steps, said a police official.

With due respect to her, it should be noted that there have been other bold female IPS officials who have shown extraordinary guts in the recent past.

Sonia Narang, who exposed the rot in the Lokayukta and other cases, Roopa D Moudgil and others have set an example.

In her own neighbourhood of Padubidri-Uchila, Karkala ASP Suman Pernekar has been going great guns against crime and offences in her subdivision.

A few months ago, Hassan additional SP Shobha Rani, while checking the activities of the sand mafia, an attempt was made to run over her with a vehicle, but she survived and continued her bold campaign.

There are many such brave women in the police force who have been serving without fanfare.

Anupama could have got their support for sure if she had adopted the proper channel. She had a brilliant path ahead. She could have spoken to the higher-ups and sorted out the matter. The politicians that created problems for her could have been brought to book.

The department needed women like her to be role models for future entrants. But with this small lapse, has she walked into a trap set by vested interests? Only time will tell. Or at least that is what her friends say.

There is no denying the fact that she has been a daring and upright person. But her conduct in the recent past may have cost her dear, both workwise and imagewise.

It will only be seen as a sad end to the prospective career of a bold woman, who opted to become another politician.

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