Bengaluru: Union Minister and JD(S) state president H.D. Kumaraswamy on Tuesday demanded a comprehensive and impartial CBI investigation into allegations that political leaders and their family members in Karnataka were being targeted through sting operations.
Addressing the media at the JD(S) headquarters, J.P. Bhavan, in Bengaluru, Kumaraswamy said he would meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah and submit a formal complaint along with the information available to him.
He said the investigation should establish who was behind the alleged sting operations, who was conducting them and the role played by those involved. Those found guilty should face legal action, he demanded.
Kumaraswamy also referred to allegations that four retired police officers had been engaged at Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar’s residence in Sadashivanagar to monitor conversations involving ministers and others.
However, he clarified that he was not personally accusing Shivakumar of having ordered the alleged activities.
Kumaraswamy also called for an investigation into a complaint alleging that a 14-year-old girl had been influenced to participate in a sting operation.
He said the circumstances surrounding the alleged involvement of the minor and the people responsible for it should be examined as part of a comprehensive inquiry.
Referring to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Kumaraswamy said the issue should be confronted directly and that the truth must emerge through judicial and constitutional institutions.
He urged the Karnataka government to transfer the case to the CBI to ensure an impartial investigation free from political influence.
The allegations raised by Kumaraswamy require independent verification, and the outcome of any investigation would determine whether wrongdoing occurred.