The Bengaluru sting video controversy escalated on Saturday after hundreds of Janata Dal (Secular) workers led by Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy marched to the Director General of Police’s office, seeking a Special Investigation Team probe into the recording, editing and circulation of the footage.
The procession began at the JD(S) headquarters, JP Bhavan, and moved towards the office of Director General and Inspector General of Police M A Saleem. Police barricades and additional security deployment around Town Hall affected traffic movement as the protesters proceeded to submit their complaint.
The complaint concerns a purported sting video filmed in 2023 and recently broadcast by some local television channels. The footage relates to unverified incidents from 2011, when Siddaramaiah was the Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly during the tenure of the B S Yediyurappa-led BJP government. The JD(S) has alleged that the video was edited and misused to target political leaders and facilitate blackmail and extortion. These allegations have not been independently established.
The petition names Rakesh Shetty, described in the complaint as the owner and anchor of Power TV, and seeks an investigation into what the party called a political conspiracy behind the video. The JD(S) has also demanded verification of the source and authenticity of the footage, forensic examination of the original recording, voice sample analysis and identification of everyone involved in recording, editing and circulating it.
The party further alleged that footage was concealed instead of being reported to the police or other legal authorities, and was later used for publicity and political purposes. It claimed that a woman connected to the recording was being persuaded to appear before the media with promises of financial assistance. The allegations, including the claim that a voice in the video resembles Shetty’s, remain claims made in the complaint and have not been established independently.
The petition sought action under applicable provisions of the Information Technology Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. It also referred to earlier court proceedings and public statements concerning the circulation of videos allegedly intended to damage Siddaramaiah’s reputation.
Saturday’s march came two days after Kumaraswamy staged a sit-in outside the Bengaluru City Police Commissioner’s office following a meeting with Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh. He accused the police of targeting JD(S) workers, including members of the party’s social media team, in connection with videos linked to Siddaramaiah.
Kumaraswamy alleged that police personnel took a member of the party’s social media team to an unidentified shed or godown for questioning on Tuesday. He claimed the worker was questioned for several hours and asked to contact another person, who was subsequently questioned. Kumaraswamy alleged that the police were attempting to extract information to implicate political opponents. The police have not been reported as confirming those allegations.
Bengaluru police have questioned more than five people in connection with the controversy, including Shetty, who was questioned on Tuesday, as well as some JD(S) workers. The party has warned that it will launch a statewide agitation if the police do not act on its complaint. The immediate official next step is consideration of the complaint and the continuing police inquiry into the video’s origin, authenticity and circulation.
