Karnataka’s cybercrime police have registered a first information report (FIR) and detained two people for questioning over the alleged circulation of videos targeting former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah.
This came after Siddaramaiah alleged that malicious videos were being circulated on social media as part of a conspiracy to damage his reputation.
Police were tracing accounts suspected of sharing the material to establish its origin and identify those responsible.The investigation follows a complaint Siddaramaiah submitted to Bengaluru police commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh, with details of social media accounts allegedly involved in circulating the content.
“The CCB [Central Crime Branch of cybercrime police] began monitoring platforms and tracing internet protocol (IP) addresses. The two suspects are being questioned at an undisclosed location,” said an officer briefed on the investigation.
A court on Tuesday granted an interim injunction restraining 42 media organisations and digital platforms from publishing or circulating two videos allegedly linked to Siddaramaiah.The court directed the platforms to block access to the material, including clips, screenshots, transcripts and edited versions. It said Siddaramaiah had disputed the authenticity and credibility of the videos, the intention behind their circulation and the propriety of publishing them without verification.
Union minister and Janata Dal (Secular) leader H D Kumaraswamy has demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the controversy. He alleged that chief minister D K Shivakumar used a sting operation to force Siddaramaiah to step down and facilitate a change in leadership in the Karnataka Congress.
Kumaraswamy questioned the handling of the controversy and indicated that he intended to raise the matter with Union home minister Amit Shah. He called for those responsible for the alleged operations to be identified.
Karnataka minister Yathindra Siddaramaiah, the former chief minister’s son, dismissed the footage as fake and alleged a conspiracy to damage his father’s reputation. He said a complaint had been filed against those circulating the material.“Someone appears to have been instigated to carry out a sting operation,” Yathindra said, alleging that the footage was being used to spread misinformation. He said the family was pursuing legal action against those sharing the material.
Congress leader Ramesh Babu described Kumaraswamy’s allegations against Shivakumar as politically motivated and baseless, arguing that they were intended to create confusion within the ruling party.
Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka said the Congress had betrayed Siddaramaiah and demanded an FIR over the alleged sting operation.
In a statement on Tuesday, Siddaramaiah said he had approached the court after noticing a campaign on social media linking him to the purported sting operation. He denied any connection with the video and alleged that some people were using it to spread defamatory information for political reasons.