Bengaluru, May 13 : Senior BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka on Wednesday alleged that law and order has completely collapsed in Karnataka and questioned whether those entrusted with protecting the public had themselves become predators under the government led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. "People fear the system more than criminals, he stated with concern.

In a strongly worded statement, Ashoka claimed that people in Karnataka were now more afraid of the law enforcement system than of criminals themselves. Referring to recent reports on the police department, he said the figures exposed an alarming picture of the stateâ??s law and order situation.

He alleged that under the leadership of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the Congress government in Karnataka, the police department has lost discipline, ethics and public trust, and has sunk into corruption.

Citing statistics, Ashoka said 713 police officers have been suspended in the last two years, which, according to him, reflected not isolated misconduct but a systemic collapse within the department.

He further alleged that criminal cases have been registered against 95 police personnel and questioned how citizens could trust the very people responsible for ensuring public safety if they themselves were involved in serious crimes.

Ashoka also claimed that the names of police personnel had surfaced in cases related to robbery, theft and murder. â??If those responsible for enforcing the law begin violating it without fear, how can justice survive in the state?â?? he asked.

Expressing concern over Bengaluruâ??s image, the BJP leader alleged that a majority of the suspended officers were from the city. He warned that if law and order deteriorated to such an extent in Indiaâ??s technology capital, it would damage Bengaluruâ??s brand value and reputation.

Ashoka further claimed that more than 400 police officials have been found guilty in departmental inquiries and questioned what stringent action the government had taken against them.

According to him, there was growing public fear that individuals allegedly collaborating with rowdy-sheeters, running fake document networks and harassing innocent people were operating without fear of the law.

Calling it not merely a failure of the police department but the â??complete bankruptcyâ?? of the Home Department, Ashoka asked who would guarantee the protection of peopleâ??s lives, property and dignity under the Congress governmentâ??s guarantee schemes.

He also questioned whether the government was controlling criminals or extending political protection to them. Ashoka urged the government to immediately cleanse the system and restore public faith in the police department, warning that public anger could eventually unseat the government from power.

Ashoka further accused the Karnataka government of neglecting the public education system and questioned whether there was a deliberate attempt to shut down government schools in the state.

The BJP leader alleged that the large number of vacant teaching posts in government schools reflected not merely an administrative failure but a â??cruel negligenceâ?? that was allowing the public education system to slowly collapse.

He claimed that 38,163 teacher posts were currently vacant in government schools across Karnataka and said that nearly 22 per cent of teaching positions remained unfilled. â??If one out of every five teaching posts is vacant, how are schools expected to function?â?? he asked.

Ashoka also questioned whether the governmentâ??s flagship guarantee schemes could replace teachers in classrooms. He said that if there were no teachers in schools, poor children would be deprived of the basic education and guidance needed to build their future.

The BJP leader further criticised the Congress government for allegedly failing to fulfil its promise of recruiting 15,000 teachers. He accused the government of remaining silent on the issue after making public commitments regarding teacher recruitment.

â??Displaying concern for education in advertisements while leaving schools without teachers in reality cannot be called social justice,â?? Ashoka said.

He questioned whether the delay in recruitment was due to a lack of funds or a lack of political will. Ashoka alleged that the government had sufficient funds for guarantee implementation committees, luxury events and minority welfare programmes, but claimed there was no money available for recruiting teachers for government schools.

â??This is not a financial problem, it is a lack of willpower,â?? he said.

Ashoka stated that a school without teachers was nothing more than an empty building and warned that education, the future of poor children and social equality would all suffer if the situation continued.

He further alleged that the weakening of government schools could eventually be used as a reason to shut them down on the grounds of low student attendance.

Demanding immediate action, Ashoka urged the Karnataka government to begin a full-scale teacher recruitment process without delay and stop what he described as a systematic attempt to weaken and close government schools in the state.

/IANS