Siddaramaiah sting case: Probe trail reaches Kumaraswamy’s Delhi home; is trouble brewing?

A statement by Bengaluru’s Police Commissioner on Sunday (October 2) has given a fresh, politically significant twist to the alleged sting operation targeting former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah, bringing Union minister HD Kumaraswamy’s Delhi residence into the investigation's scope.

Focus turns to Kumaraswamy

While addressing the press on Sunday, Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh said that Ritesh Pandey, one of the accused, told investigators after his arrest that a mobile phone allegedly used in the operation was purchased in Delhi and handed over to another accused at Kumaraswamy's official residence in Delhi. According to Singh, Pandey has confessed that he went to a market in Delhi’s Karol Bagh with one Vinod Sharma, and the two bought the mobile phone from there. The phone was later handed over to Prajwal Prasad, the social media manager of Kumaraswamy’s Delhi residence.

Also read: Stung by ‘sting’ row, Siddaramaiah rallies loyalists, plans to meet Rahul

Police have also detected suspicious financial transactions between the accused and are investigating whether influential people were behind the operation.

'Sting' video, Kumaraswamy’s charges against DKS

The purported sting operation video, said to have been recorded in 2023, surfaced on September 27 this year on a YouTube channel and went viral on the internet. In the video, a woman is seen making serious allegations of sexual abuse against Siddaramaiah linked to an incident in 2011 when he was the leader of the Opposition.

Siddaramaiah rejected the allegations and approached the police, saying the video was a malicious attempt to defame and blackmail him. He also moved the civil court seeking an injunction against the publication and circulation of the video.

Soon after the video surfaced, Kumaraswamy accused Shivakumar of conducting the sting operation with the help of television journalist Rakesh Shetty to target Siddaramaiah and force him to resign from the post of chief minister – for which he was the top contender.

However, with the latest development, the focus of the probe has shifted to Kumaraswamy and the controversy moved from a Congress-versus-JD(S) political battle to a question of who actually created, handled and circulated the video — and who was ultimately behind the operation.

CCB’s pursuit of video’s makers

As the controversy gained momentum, the focus of the Central Crime Branch (CCB), which was entrusted with the investigation of the case, narrowed down to the people behind the creation and circulation of the viral video of the purported sting operation. While the names of Congress leader Kripa Alva and journalist Shetty emerged during the investigation, police questioned people who appeared to have knowledge of the circumstances surrounding the 2023 recording. Shetty secured anticipatory bail and appeared before investigators, while Alva also recorded her statement.

Police have been examining whether the original operation was intended to investigate rumours and whether the material was later converted into a politically damaging video.

Also read: Siddaramaiah 'sting operation’: Police say 'fabricated and deliberately constructed'

Kumaraswamy, meanwhile, became increasingly aggressive in attacking the Congress government and the police investigation. He questioned why people allegedly responsible for creating the video were not being arrested and accused the government of targeting JD(S)'s social-media workers instead. He even challenged the government to question him instead of harassing party workers. Kumaraswamy also demanded an independent investigation into the case, including a CBI probe, arguing that the CCB investigation could not expose the entire conspiracy if politically influential people were involved.

The breakthrough

Soon after, investigators turned the focus of the probe towards people linked to the circulation of the video. Ritesh Pandey, based in Delhi, was arrested on October 24 in connection with the uploading of the video. Police said the digital trail led investigators outside Karnataka and towards people associated with social-media content creation.

Despite Kumaraswamy's protests against police interrogation of JD(S) workers for their alleged role in uploading the sting video, the investigation continued. And on Sunday, came the development that dramatically changed the political narrative – Ritesh Pandey’s confession directly linked Kumaraswamy’s Delhi residence with the row.

Police have also said that Prajwal Prasad and Vinod Sharma are associated with the social-media ecosystem linked to Kumaraswamy’s office. Both have been issued notices but have reportedly not appeared before investigators and are seeking anticipatory bail. Police have also detected financial transactions between Pandey and Prasad and are examining CCTV footage, digital records and other technical evidence.

Has case boomeranged on Kumaraswamy?

While police are investigating the legitimacy of the video and the purported sting operation, the latest disclosure has put Kumaraswamy in a politically uncomfortable position, particularly after his allegations against Shivakumar (with whom he is competing to lead a Vokkaliga base in the Old Mysore region).

Meanwhile, for Shivakumar, the latest development is an opportunity to counter the allegations levelled against him.

The case has thus acquired significance for both leaders, with the investigation now raising questions about the alleged links between the operation, the JD(S) social-media network and the political battle within the Congress.

The investigation so far has produced a different line of inquiry — the alleged circulation and amplification of the video through individuals linked to the JD(S) social-media network.

Also read: Balancing Siddaramaiah, battling HDK: DK Shivakumar’s first 100 days as Karnataka CM

Whether Kumaraswamy's political attack on the Congress will boomerang on him now depends on what the CCB establishes through further questioning and forensic evidence.

In fact, the police commissioner has specifically cautioned against drawing such a conclusion at this stage. The current evidence includes the statement of an arrested accused, along with technical and financial evidence that police are still verifying. Politically, the investigation has certainly created an uncomfortable situation for Kumaraswamy because the trail has reached his official Delhi residence and people allegedly associated with his social-media team. Legally, however, the investigation is not yet at the stage where responsibility can be conclusively fixed on Kumaraswamy.

Police piecing together sequence of events

Bengaluru Police have said that statements and evidence collected so far do not substantiate the incident portrayed in the video and that the allegations appear to be false and concocted. Investigators are also examining the possibility of a coordinated effort involving multiple people to create, upload and amplify the material for political or malicious purposes.

Also read: Secrets of Siddaramaiah's record run as CM: Experience, adaptability, smart governance

The CCB is still trying to question Prajwal Prasad and Vinod Sharma. Police say their interrogation is necessary to establish the sequence of events, verify the financial transactions, and determine who instructed whom. Therefore, the final answer to the biggest question — who conceived the operation, who financed it, who created or edited the video, who ordered its circulation, and whether any political leader directly instructed the operation — is still awaited. Whether it finally boomerangs on Kumaraswamy will depend not on political allegations, but on what the CCB can establish through digital evidence, financial records, CCTV footage and the statements of the remaining accused.