Karnataka sting Op row: Kumaraswamy seeks CBI probe, says he will complain to HM Shah
Bengaluru, Oct 13 (IANS) Union Minister and Karnataka JD(S) President, H.D. Kumaraswamy, on Tuesday demanded a comprehensive and impartial CBI investigation into allegations that political leaders and their families were being targeted in the name of sting operations in the state.
Speaking to the media at the JD(S) state headquarters, J.P. Bhavan, Kumaraswamy said he would meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah and submit a complaint, providing the information available to him and seeking an investigation into the allegations.
He said the probe should establish who was behind the alleged operations, who conducted them and the roles played by various individuals. Those found guilty should face action, he added.
Kumaraswamy said former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah should not be intimidated by the alleged conspiracy against him and should speak with the same fighting spirit he had demonstrated in the past.
“It is not right to remain silent on this issue. It is not enough if I alone speak about it,” he said.
Referring to previous controversies, Kumaraswamy alleged that a former Chief Minister had been targeted in a sting operation, followed by former Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi, and later K.N. Rajanna, who belongs to the same community. He claimed that Rajanna had alleged that a leader from his own party was running a “CD factory”, but was subsequently silenced.
Kumaraswamy made further allegations that four retired police officers had been appointed at Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar’s residence in Sadashivanagar after he assumed office, allegedly to monitor conversations involving ministers and others using sophisticated equipment.
He claimed to have received information that surveillance and phone-tapping activities at the residence were being discussed extensively within the police department.
“If a person holding the office of Chief Minister keeps his own party’s MLAs and ministers under surveillance to secure his position, what does that mean?” he alleged, reiterating that a CBI investigation was necessary to establish the facts.
However, Kumaraswamy clarified that he was not claiming that Chief Minister Shivakumar had personally ordered the alleged surveillance. He said the investigation should establish what had taken place within the departments concerned.
Asked whether his own phone had been tapped, Kumaraswamy said he discussed matters openly and had nothing to hide.
Kumaraswamy also referred to a complaint reportedly submitted on October 9 by an organisation called Bengaluru Naija Horatagarara Vedike to the Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court, the committee concerned with juvenile justice and officials of the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority.
He said the complaint reportedly referred to a 14-year-old girl and alleged that she had been influenced to participate in a sting operation. According to Kumaraswamy, the complaint stated that the girl was now an adult. He called for these allegations to be examined as part of the investigation.
Referring to reports that Siddaramaiah had approached a court seeking an injunction in connection with the sting operation controversy, Kumaraswamy said the truth should ultimately emerge through constitutional and judicial institutions.
He said his position was that everyone must abide by the court’s verdict. He also claimed that his family had not approached the court to seek similar protection when it faced difficulties in the past.
Kumaraswamy urged the state government to hand over the case to the CBI to ensure an investigation free from political influence.
“Those who have done nothing wrong need not fear an investigation. Whoever has committed wrongdoing should be investigated,” he said.
–IANS
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