Fresh allegations mount against Congress leader Rajeev Gowda over harassment of women officials in Sidlaghatta

Chikkaballapur : Troubles are mounting for Congress leader Rajeev Gowda, the prime accused in the case related to the alleged verbal abuse of the Sidlaghatta City Municipal Commissioner. While Gowda is reportedly absconding, fresh allegations are surfacing one after another, deepening the crisis for the party in the Sidlaghatta Assembly constituency.

After reports emerged that Gowda had allegedly abused Sidlaghatta Tahsildar Gaganasindhu using derogatory language, a woman Panchayat Development Officer (PDO) working in the constituency has now levelled serious accusations against the Congress leader. In a strong statement, the officer alleged that harassing women officials has become a pattern of behaviour for Rajeev Gowda.

Detailing her ordeal, the PDO said Gowda had threatened and repeatedly harassed her, insisting that his instructions should prevail in Sidlaghatta instead of those of the elected MLA. “He used to say that if we did not follow his directions, he would get us transferred. There was no question of right or wrong—only his word mattered,” she alleged.

According to the officer, she was pressured in matters related to nominations to a milk dairy and in the issuance of cheques. She claimed that Gowda used a letterhead identifying himself as a KPCC coordinator to intimidate officials. “He openly said that the KPCC coordinator’s post was more powerful than that of the local MLA and used it to dominate women officers in the constituency,” she stated.

The PDO further alleged that Rajeev Gowda believed that officials in Sidlaghatta were inclined to listen to the local JD(S) MLA and, driven by this perception, targeted officers with verbal abuse and threats. “Just as he abused Municipal Commissioner Amruthagouda, he tried to abuse me as well. But when I strongly responded, he backed off,” she said.

She added that her refusal to comply with his alleged illegal demands eventually led to her transfer. “I clearly told him that I could not blindly follow his instructions and that he could do whatever he wanted. Soon after, I was transferred,” the officer claimed. She also asserted that several women officials in the Sidlaghatta Assembly segment had faced similar harassment at the hands of Gowda.

As the controversy escalated and began to cause political embarrassment, the Congress leadership moved swiftly into damage-control mode. Taking serious note of the allegations and the reported verbal abuse of the municipal commissioner, the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) issued a show-cause notice to Rajeev Gowda.

KPCC working president G.C. Chandrashekar, in the notice, directed Gowda to submit a satisfactory explanation within a week. The notice warned that disciplinary action would be initiated if he failed to respond or if the explanation was found unsatisfactory.

With multiple allegations now emerging from government officials, particularly women officers, the episode has triggered sharp political reactions in the district and put the Congress under pressure to act decisively against its leader.