Bengaluru traffic was disrupted for more than an hour on Nrupatunga Road on Saturday after Union minister HD Kumaraswamy led hundreds of JD(S) workers in a protest outside the Karnataka state police headquarters over alleged sting videos.
The protesters arrived to submit a complaint seeking legal action against those allegedly responsible for the sting operations. The demonstration took place after the expiry of a two-day deadline Kumaraswamy had set for the arrest of the alleged kingpin behind the videos.
According to the Times of India report, the protesters sat on Nrupatunga Road, partially blocking the heavy traffic passing through the area. The road disruption added a mobility impact to a political protest that was centred on the police department’s handling of the alleged sting operations.
Kumaraswamy had earlier led a march from the JD(S) headquarters near Okalipuram towards the office of the Director General and Inspector General of Police. Police stopped the march near Freedom Park, leading to a heated exchange between the minister and police personnel, the report said.
The state police chief’s office is located about one kilometre from Freedom Park. After being stopped, Kumaraswamy proceeded towards the office, where protesters attempted to enter the premises. Police personnel were deployed in large numbers and prevented the group from entering the headquarters.
The protest was eventually taken inside the formal administrative process. About 20 protesters, led by Kumaraswamy, met Director General and Inspector General of Police MA Saleem and submitted a written complaint, according to the report.
The immediate dispute centred on alleged sting operations and the demand for legal action against their perpetrators. The report did not provide details of the alleged videos, identify the alleged kingpin, or state whether arrests had been made by the time of the protest.
The episode brought together two functions that frequently collide in central Bengaluru: political mobilisation and the movement of traffic through roads around major government offices. Nrupatunga Road, Freedom Park and the police headquarters became the main locations of the demonstration, with police deployment used to prevent entry into the office premises.
The protest followed Kumaraswamy’s earlier deadline for action, but the report did not specify any further deadline, investigation timeline or formal response from the police department beyond Saleem receiving the written complaint. The next steps will depend on how the police respond to the complaint and whether any legal action is announced in connection with the alleged sting operations.
