Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Tuesday alleged that Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s deputy, D.K. Shivakumar, was using retired police officers and surveillance equipment to monitor conversations involving ministers and leaders of the ruling party. Kumaraswamy called for a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry into the allegations.
Speaking at a press conference, Kumaraswamy alleged that after Shivakumar became Chief Minister, a house was arranged in Sadashivanagar, Bengaluru, and fitted with sophisticated equipment. He claimed that four retired police officers had been deployed there to listen to conversations involving ministers and leaders of Shivakumar’s party.
The allegations were reported by Prajavani and have not been independently established in the material available for this report. The report did not include a response from Shivakumar, the Karnataka government, the police department or the individuals Kumaraswamy referred to.
Kumaraswamy also linked his allegations to what he described as a covert operation involving Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. He said Siddaramaiah had reportedly obtained a court stay in connection with the operation and had himself sought an inquiry to identify those responsible. Kumaraswamy said he believed Siddaramaiah had not committed wrongdoing but argued that the Chief Minister should not have sought a stay if the aim was to establish who conducted the operation.
According to Kumaraswamy, covert operations were also being conducted against several ministers. He said the matter should be handed over to the CBI and urged Siddaramaiah to speak out, arguing that his support would give greater weight to the demand for an investigation.
The allegations place phone surveillance and the use of covert investigative methods at the centre of a wider governance dispute in Karnataka. Any official inquiry would need to establish whether surveillance equipment was installed, whether retired police officers were engaged for such work, who authorised any operation and whether legal procedures were followed. None of those questions has been answered in the supplied report.
Kumaraswamy said he would soon meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah to bring the developments in Karnataka to the Centre’s attention. No details of the proposed meeting or of any formal investigation were provided in the report.
