Bengaluru: Union minister and JD(S) state president HD Kumaraswamy Tuesday demanded a CBI probe into alleged sting operations targeting political figures and their families in Karnataka and said he would soon meet Union home minister Amit Shah with a formal complaint.He said an investigation should establish who masterminded the operations, who carried them out and what roles various individuals played. Those found guilty should be penalised, he said.On former CM Siddaramaiah seeking an injunction in an alleged sting case, Kumaraswamy urged him “to stand firm” instead of seeking orders to restrain proceedings, and to speak as forcefully as he did in his earlier struggles. He also appealed to Ahinda functionaries to oppose such practices, warning that silence could have consequences.Kumaraswamy also cited a complaint filed on Oct 9 by Bengaluru Nijada Horatagarara Vedike with Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court, juvenile justice committee and Karnataka State Legal Services Authority officials. It alleged that a 14-year-old girl, now an adult, was influenced to take part in a sting operation. This should also be examined, Kumaraswamy said.Justifying his demand for a CBI probe, Kumaraswamy said the truth should emerge through constitutional and judicial institutions, and everyone should abide by court verdicts. He said his own family had faced similar difficulties but had not sought court protection, adding that even his mother, who had devoted her life to religious observances, was not spared.“Earlier, a sting operation was conducted against a former CM. Then Ramesh Jarkiholi was finished off, followed by KN Rajanna, who belongs to the same community,” he alleged. “Rajanna had said that a functionary of our party was running a CD factory, but he was subsequently silenced. Now it is Siddaramaiah’s turn.”Kumaraswamy also asked why references to Prajwal Revanna’s alleged incidents in Parappana Agrahara prison surfaced whenever the Bidadi farmers’ agitation and BMIC-NICE project issues came up. “What had officials done for one-and-a-half years, and who ordered Prajwal’s transfer to Hindalga prison in Belagavi and who made the calls?” he asked.Kumaraswamy also alleged that after becoming CM, DK Shivakumar hired four retired police officers to gather information on discussions among ministers and others using “advanced equipment” at his Sadashivanagar residence. He said the alleged surveillance had become a topic of discussion within the police department and called for a CBI probe to establish facts. He insisted that he was not accusing Shivakumar of personally ordering the surveillance. Asked whether his phone had been tapped, Kumaraswamy said he had nothing to conceal and spoke openly about everything.Meanwhile, Shivakumar took a sarcastic swipe at Kumaraswamy, saying he had “drawn the state’s attention to a good issue”, while dismissing the former CM’s allegation that he was behind a sting operation targeting his cabinet colleagues. Shivakumar said these allegations “would be answered in time” and challenged Kumaraswamy to submit evidence he claimed to possess for investigation.
