ADGP M Chandra Sekhar, an Additional Director-General of Police (ADGP)-rank Himachal cadre IPS officer heading the Lokayukta Special Investigation Team (SIT) that is investigating an illegal mining case in Karnataka, lodged a complaint at the Sanjaynagar police station on Friday (October 11) against Union minister HD Kumaraswamy and his son, Nikhil Kumaraswamy. Chandra Sekhar alleged that the father-son duo had threatened him of dire consequences in a bid to scuttle the probe into the former chief minister’s complicity in the case, says a Hindustan Times report quoting PTI.
Chandra Sekhar said the SIT had found a substantial body of evidence against the former chief minister and the wheels of law were moving to prosecute the accused. The senior Kumaraswamy was elected as an MP from Karnataka’s Mandya after the Lok Sabha election results were announced on June 4 and was appointed as the Union minister for heavy industries and steel.
It is pertinent to mention here that the senior Kumaraswamy has been trying very hard to foist his son’s image on the public psyche at the cost of losing his own credibility. Nikhil Kumaraswamy is proposed to be fielded as a JD(S) candidate from the Channapatna Assembly constituency for the by-election as the senior Kumaraswamy had vacated the seat after he was elected to the Lok Sabha in June.
What Had Transpired Earlier
The case involving HD Kumaraswamy, facing a probe by the Karnataka Lokayukta regarding a denotification case, had taken an ugly turn on Sunday (September 29) when, in a letter (dated September 28, 2024) and addressed to the Staff of the Special Investigation Team (SIT), Chandra Sekhar had advised his subordinates not to be deterred from discharging their duties, alleging that Kumaraswamy had made “false and malicious allegations and threats” at a press conference.
One might well have let it go if Chandra Sekhar’s comments had stopped at this. But what made this letter significantly uncalled-for was the second part, where Sekhar referred to “a famous English quote by George Bernard Shaw which says, ‘Never wrestle with pigs. You both get dirty and the pig likes it’.” The unpalatable choice of words for the analogy by this high-ranking police officer while referring to a central minister, particularly the metaphor likening the individual to a pig, raised serious questions about the professionalism of an upholder of the law regardless of their legal position.
ADGP’s October 11 Complaint
The investigation into the case against Kumaraswamy pertains to charges that he had illegally approved a 550-acre mining lease to Sri Sai Venkateswara Minerals (SSVM) in Bellary district while he was Karnataka chief minister from 2006 to 2008. “The SIT, after preparing the investigation report and having found substantial evidence and material to prosecute the accused (Kumaraswamy), had written to HE Governor of Karnataka seeking sanction for prosecution against the accused, Sh. HD Kumaraswamy, on 21/11/2023,” Chandra Sekhar wrote in his complaint filed at Sanjay Nagar police station.
Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, vide his letter dated July 29, 2024, had sought certain clarifications after perusing the report, Sekhar said. The SIT received this communication, along with certain other documents, on August 8 evening and sent the clarification on August 19. Gehlot returned the file on August 29 and requested that it be translated from Kannada to English, the ADGP said.
A Deccan Herald reports states that Chandra Sekhar also claimed that he failed to comprehend how Kumaraswamy could, possibly, know the precise details of the communication that had passed between the Governor and the SIT. On top of that, Chandra Sekhar alleged, Kumaraswamy possessed the same documents that the SIT had gathered as evidence against him. Chandra Sekhar also alleged that Kumaraswamy had not only verbally attacked him, but had also threatened to have him shifted from his cadre to another state.
“Very clearly, the accused is intimidating me by threatening to have me shifted from Karnataka and also cause trouble to my family members. The accused by his conduct has threatened me and my family of injury to forbear and prevent me from proceeding further with prosecution of the accused. This act of the accused is an offence punishable under Section 224 of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), 2023,” the ADGP said in his complaint.
‘Bid to Fund Son’s Campaign’
Earlier, at the beginning of this month, a case was registered against the senior Kumaraswamy when Vijaya Tata, a leader from his party, social media vice-president of the Janata Dal (Secular), accused the former of extortion, the police had said on Thursday (October 4), according to an India Today report.
In a complaint lodged on October 1, Tata had claimed that a leader of the same party, Ramesh Gowda, visited his home on August 24, rung up Kumaraswamy’s number, and facilitated a conversation between him and the Union minister, who demanded Rs 50 crore from Tata for the Channapatna by-election. The Union minister also threatened him that, if the money was not arranged, he (Kumaraswamy) would make it difficult for Tata to run his real estate business—or, verily, even to survive in Bengaluru.
Tata’s complaint stated that Gowda told him that a ticket had been confirmed for Nikhil Kumaraswamy to contest the by-election from Channapatna, and the Rs 50 crore would be needed for that. The Amruthahalli police had lodged a case against Kumaraswamy and Gowda under sections 3(5), 308(2) and 351(2)) BNS, 2023, following the complaint.
Nikhil, incidentally, seems to be facing an ‘identity crisis’ being a ‘midget’ surrounded by luminaries in his family. His grandfather, HD Deve Gowda, was prime minister of India from June 1, 1996, to April 21, 1997 and, earlier, the 14th chief minister of Karnataka from 1994 to 1996. He is currently a member of the Rajya Sabha representing Karnataka. His father, HD Kumaraswamy, also served as the 18th chief minister of Karnataka from 2018 to 2019 and, earlier, from 2006 to 2007. His mother, Anitha Kumaraswamy, too, had served as a member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) twice. She won a by-election in Ramanagara in 2018 and had earlier represented Madhugiri from 2008 to 2013.
(The author of this article is a Defence, Aerospace & Political Analyst based in Bengaluru. He is also Director of ADD Engineering Components, India, Pvt. Ltd, a subsidiary of ADD Engineering GmbH, Germany. You can reach him at: [email protected])
(Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author’s own and do not reflect those of DNA)
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