Union minister HD Kumaraswamy has questioned the purpose of an inquiry into alleged corruption at the Hassan deputy commissioner’s office, claiming Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar had already given Deputy Commissioner KS Latha Kumari and other officials a clean chit before any investigation began.
Kumaraswamy made the remarks on Saturday after offering prayers at the Sri Ranganathaswamy temple at Mavinkere in Holenarasipura taluk. He alleged that the chief minister’s public interaction with the deputy commissioner raised questions about whether the state government had reached a conclusion before examining the allegations.
“I noticed in the media that the chief minister had sat beside the DC. I do not know what discussions took place between them. But even before an investigation, the CM has given a clean chit to the DC and other officials. What is the point of demanding an inquiry now?” Kumaraswamy said, according to the report.
The allegations relate to names and details mentioned in WhatsApp chats involving the deputy commissioner’s personal assistant. Kumaraswamy said he had not directly named the deputy commissioner or the district in-charge minister, and maintained that he had only sought an investigation into the authenticity of the names and information contained in the messages.
“Have I ever said that they took money? Have I pointed a finger at anyone? I only asked that the authenticity of the names and details in the chat be investigated,” he said.
Kumaraswamy also accused the deputy commissioner of exceeding her authority and alleged that the state government was encouraging officials to disregard rules. The report did not provide details of the specific administrative decisions or alleged transactions behind those claims.
He reiterated his demand that the mobile phones of all officials concerned be seized as part of the investigation. “If they are not involved, why should they be afraid?” he said.
The dispute places the question of investigative independence at the centre of the Hassan allegations. Kumaraswamy argued that a preliminary public assurance from the chief minister could weaken the purpose of a formal inquiry, while the report did not include a response from Shivakumar, Latha Kumari or the state government to his allegations.
Kumaraswamy said he did not expect immediate action from the current government and added that the consequences of the matter would become clear over time. The next step remains the inquiry into the alleged corruption and the verification of the WhatsApp material identified by him.
