Kumaraswamy Challenges Police, Blames Shivakumar in Sting Video Probe

Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on November 2, 2026 publicly challenged Bengaluru police to file a case against him, rejecting their claim that a sting video targeting former chief minister Siddaramaiah was exchanged at his Delhi residence. At the same press conference he accused chief minister D.K. Shivakumar of meeting the accused and conspiring to circulate explicit videos of former Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna. Kumaraswamy also alleged that Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh was acting on the chief minister’s orders, saying his home receives many visitors and he does not know who the commissioner referred to. He dared officers to summon him for investigation, declaring “nobody has the guts to touch me,” and demanded that police disclose the location where a man linked to him was arrested in the sting operation. The minister questioned the objectivity of the probe, noting that a woman victim had lodged a complaint with the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, which was not acted upon. He claimed the conspirators travelled to Kerala with the intent to meet the woman for an interview. Congress leader Kripa Alva, who chaired the commission from 2015 to 2018, was later interrogated and expelled from the party. Kumaraswamy suggested the woman had withdrawn her statements, implying she might be part of the conspiracy and should be named as an accused. He criticised police for allegedly giving a clean chit to Siddaramaiah and asked why the prime accused, Power TV managing director Rakesh Shetty, had not been arrested. Hours before the press meet, the Central Crime Branch searched Shetty’s residence and office after obtaining a court warrant.## Context The dispute reflects ongoing political tension in Karnataka, where rival leaders often clash over law‑enforcement actions. Accusations of police bias and interference by senior politicians are common in high‑profile cases involving alleged sexual misconduct videos.