Bengaluru: Union Minister and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy on Monday accused the Congress government in Karnataka of conducting a one-sided investigation into the alleged sting operation involving Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, questioning why police searched the residence of his staff member and seized his wife's bank passbook.
Speaking to reporters, Kumaraswamy questioned the Central Crime Branch (CCB) of Bengaluru police for searching the residence of his staff member Mohan Gowda and seizing his mobile phone as well as his wife's passbook. He asked what connection the woman had with the case.
"How is this police behaving?" he said.
The JD(S) leader alleged that the state machinery was being used against him and his associates, while investigators were not adequately examining those allegedly involved in carrying out the sting operation.
His remarks came a day after Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh said the mobile phone purportedly used to record the alleged sting video had been purchased in Delhi and handed over to a person named Prajwal Prasad at Kumaraswamy's official residence in the national capital.
According to the police, the information emerged from a statement made by Ritesh Pandey, an accused arrested in the case. Singh said Pandey and Vinod Sharma had purchased the phone from a shop in Delhi's Karol Bagh on Prasad's instructions before handing it over to him at Kumaraswamy's residence.
Pandey, a Delhi-based man, was arrested on October 24 for allegedly uploading a video linked to the sting operation on social media. He was the first person arrested in the case. The CCB took him into custody in Delhi and brought him to Bengaluru for questioning.
Taking aim at the Congress and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, Kumaraswamy alleged that sting operations had been used by the ruling party to come to power.
"Mr DK Shivakumar, you came to power by doing all this sting operation," he said.
Kumaraswamy also claimed that members of his social media team, Chandan and Mohan Gowda, were being repeatedly summoned for questioning.
"Our social media team members, Chandan and Mohan Gowda, are being called for questioning every day," he said, alleging that they were made to sit at the police station from morning until evening and then asked to return the next day.
He questioned Siddaramaiah's decision to obtain a court injunction restraining the media from reporting on the videos and asked why the chief minister had sought the order.
"I want to ask Siddaramaiah: Why did you obtain a stay order? I had only said that your old voice recording should be made public. I have said this earlier as well," he said.
Kumaraswamy also referred to Siddaramaiah's earlier remarks in the Assembly praising the state's police force, questioning how the same officers were being used in the present investigation.
"You cannot touch me," he said.
Two videos containing allegations against Siddaramaiah were uploaded on YouTube, purportedly in September. After the clips circulated, the chief minister approached a court and obtained an injunction restraining the media from reporting on them. He also filed a police complaint seeking an investigation.
Last week, Bengaluru City Police said the allegations of sexual abuse portrayed in the viral sting video were part of a fabricated and deliberately constructed narrative.
Meanwhile, Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge said the investigation was progressing, with technical evidence and several significant leads emerging. He said legal action would be taken against anyone found involved, irrespective of their influence or position.
"Several important aspects have emerged during the technical examination of the evidence. The investigation is still underway, and more details will come out as it progresses. Anyone found involved will face legal action, no matter how influential they are," he said, according to PTI.