Shivamogga Medical Officer Arrested for Bribe Over Post-Mortem Report

Rapid Summary

• The Shivamogga Lokayukta police in Karnataka arrested Dr. Gopal G. Harigi, a medical officer at Shikaripur goverment hospital, for accepting a bribe of ₹10,000.
• Dr. Harigi allegedly demanded ₹20,000 from Sunil N.Y., who was acting on behalf of the family of Sathish Manchi (recently deceased), to release the post-mortem report.
• Sunil filed a complaint with the Lokayukta police after refusing to pay the full bribe amount.
• Acting on this complaint, Lokayukta officials trapped and apprehended Dr. Harigi while he was accepting ₹10,000 in his office.
• Superintendent of Police Manjunath Chowdhari confirmed details through an official press release.

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Indian Opinion Analysis
The arrest demonstrates continuing efforts by Karnataka’s Lokayukta police to tackle corruption within public institutions and ensure accountability among government employees. Bribery involving post-mortem reports reflects systemic issues that can undermine trust in essential services such as healthcare and law enforcement processes tied to deceased persons’ cases.

this incident highlights both societal challenges-such as vulnerable families being pressured financially during sensitive times-and institutional weakness requiring stricter oversight mechanisms across government-run services like hospitals. While swift action by law enforcement is commendable, long-term solutions including better internal checks and deterrents could reduce recurring incidents of corruption affecting ordinary citizens.