BENGALURU: Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Saturday threw a bombshell, branding a senior police officer, ADGP M Chandrashekar, a “blackmailer” and implicating him in a shadowy Rs 20 crore deal.
But Chandrashekar, who is heading the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Sandur mining case against Kumaraswamy, has not taken it lying down. He hit back saying, “Never wrestle with pigs, you both get dirty and the pig likes it.” The officer said he will pursue a defamation case against Kumaraswamy.
Kumaraswamy is named accused in the controversial mining case involving Sri Sai Venkateshwara Minerals of Sandur. Recently, it was revealed that the SIT had sought Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot’s nod to prosecute Kumaraswamy. This, insiders say, may have triggered the fresh war of words between ADGP Chandrashekar and the Union minister.
But there is a deeper, darker conspiracy. Suspended police inspector Kishore Kumar, embroiled in criminal cases for the illegal sale of PACL lands, has resurfaced with claims of a Rs 20 crore extortion attempt. The accusations, however, were swiftly dismissed by the court, which threw out the case against Chandrashekar on November 6, 2023 for lack of evidence. But this crucial court decision is being buried as a dangerous disinformation campaign swirls, threatening to derail critical investigations by SIT.
FIRs paint a damning picture of Kishore Kumar, with allegations mounting against him and his associates. In an attempt to further muddy the waters, known rowdy-sheeter Sridhar filed a PCR, only for the High Court to step in on July 24, 2024, calling it an outright abuse of the legal process.
But in this web of half-truths, Kumaraswamy’s sympathies for Kishore Kumar raise questions. Why is a suspended officer accused of perjury in the Supreme Court, which is pending in CID, receiving such support?
It all started after the papers from the Lokayukta office seeking sanction to prosecute Kumaraswamy leaked from either the Lokayukta office or Raj Bhavan recently.