Kumaraswamy booked for ‘threatening’ officer probing mining case

Police have booked Union minister HD Kumaraswamy after a senior officer investigating a mining case against the JD(S) leader accused him of intimidation.

The complaint was lodged by inspector general of police (IGP) M Chandra Sekhar, who alleged that Kumaraswamy attempted to prevent him from carrying out his duties through threats and intimidation. The FIR was registered against Kumaraswamy on Monday evening under section 224 (threat of injury to a public servant) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

“Kumaraswamy held a press conference regarding the case on September 28 and 29 where he threatened and made false and malicious accusations against me,” Sekhar said in his complaint. “He also threatened to get me removed from the Karnataka cadre and send me to another state cadre.”

The case against Kumaraswamy pertains to an illegal mining lease which he allegedly granted during his tenure as Karnataka chief minister between 2006 and 2008. The lease reportedly allowed Sri Sai Venkateswara Minerals (SSVM) to mine on 550 acres of land in Ballari district, a move that Sekhar claims was in violation of the law.

Sekhar’s complaint notes that the SIT, after conducting a detailed investigation, gathered “substantial evidence and material to prosecute the accused”. He stated that a report was submitted to the Governor of Karnataka on November 21, 2023, requesting approval to proceed with the prosecution. However, in late September, Kumaraswamy allegedly made threatening statements during press conferences, suggesting that Sekhar would be removed from the Karnataka cadre.

Additionally, Sekhar claimed that Kumaraswamy “made false allegations against my family members and verbally threatened to trouble them too”, while also accusing him of “taking bribes” and falsifying medical records.

A senior police officer on the condition of anonymity said, “We will initiate the probe into the allegations made by the officer. Notices will be served to the accused by the investigating officer to record their statements.”

Kumaraswamy denied the allegations against him. “I have spoken in front of the media and raised my concerns over a few issues. When did I threaten him? He has filed a complaint, let him, we will face it in court,” he told reporters on Tuesday.

“Neither of us need to be afraid of each other. Let the matter come before the court, I don’t need to go anywhere,” he added. “They have been investigating the case for the last 12 years. Whenever they summoned me, I appeared before them. I never said I won’t face the investigation. It is all being done politically by the state government and him (Sekhar). We have the court and we will face it. I trust the judiciary; our lawyers will reply to the complaint.”

Sekhar currently holds the position of additional director general of police (ADGP) for the special investigation team (SIT) in the Karnataka Lokayukta.