Siddaramaiah demands full police probe into concocted sting operation targeting him

Former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has called for an impartial police investigation into what he described as a concocted sting operation designed to blackmail him and tarnish his political standing.

Speaking to reporters in Mysuru on Friday, his first detailed public remarks on the matter, Siddaramaiah confirmed that he had lodged a formal police complaint to uncover who orchestrated the recording. He noted that during eight years as chief minister, and across a public career dating back to his appointment as a minister in 1984, no such allegations had been brought against him.

"We should know who is behind this," Siddaramaiah said, adding that the purported video surfaced only after he stepped down from office. He questioned how anyone could attempt to blackmail him when he was no longer holding executive power, stating that he turned to a civil court to secure an injunction against any publication or broadcast of the footage.

Internal party links and police inquiry

The controversy intensified after Siddaramaiah's son, Karnataka minister Yathindra Siddaramaiah, stated publicly that individuals within their own party appeared to be involved alongside media figures.

Yathindra explained that the footage reportedly captured a woman seeking a Congress ticket to contest the Puttur Assembly constituency. "From the videos, we know that our own party people were involved. There’s a mediaperson involved, too. We need to find out if this was done on their own, or if someone else was behind it," he said, stressing that law enforcement must trace the entire chain of responsibility.

The Bengaluru Cyber Crime Division has registered a criminal case covering charges of identity theft, forgery, and extortion.

Disciplinary steps and political reactions

Siddaramaiah identified the individuals seen in the footage as Congress leader Kripa Alva and Power TV owner Rakesh Shetty, maintaining that the accusations raised in the recording were entirely without foundation.

In response to the video, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president B.K. Hariprasad instructed that a show-cause notice be issued to the person appearing in the footage, without explicitly naming Alva in his public directive.

Addressing remarks by Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy, who had offered him political backing over the controversy, Siddaramaiah declined external support, stating that he relied solely on the public understanding the truth.

He also dismissed suggestions that the inquiry should be transferred to a Special Investigation Team (SIT), expressing complete confidence in the regular state police apparatus to establish the facts fairly and maintain administrative integrity.