Phone Tapping Allegations Against H.D. Kumaraswamy Has Created A Political Storm

Allegations that H.D. Kumaraswamy ordered the tapping of his adversaries’ phones have created a political storm in Karnataka

- Prathima Nandakumar

Is former Karnataka chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy guilty of doing a Richard Nixon to save his government? The BJP sure believes so. On August 19, the state government, led by Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, asked the CBI to investigate allegations that there was illegal tapping of phones of political leaders, their relatives and government officials during the Congress-JD(S) coalition rule under Kumaraswamy. The scandal struck on August 8, after an audio recording of a conversation—allegedly between senior IPS officer Bhaskar Rao (now Bengaluru police commissioner) and powerbroker Faraz Ahmed, said to be close to the Congress—was leaked to the media. In the recording, the person purported to be Rao is heard lobbying for the post of city police commissioner, and seeking the “blessings” of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and her former political secretary Ahmed Patel. The conversation happened sometime before Alok Kumar’s appointment as city police commissioner in June.

On August 2, the BJP government had replaced Alok Kumar with Rao, then ADGP, Karnataka State Reserve Police; Kumar had been the city’s top cop for only 47 days.

An inquiry into the leak exposed the silent tussle for plum postings in the police department, with senior officers allegedly tapping phones and leaking private conversations. On August 12, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Sandeep Patil submitted an interim report to Director General and Inspector General of Police Neelamani N. Raju, saying that an officer of ADGP rank had a role in the case.