H.D. Kumaraswamy, leader of the Janata Dal (Secular) on today accused the police of targeting Janata Dal (Secular) workers for a sting operation case that has created a political ruckus in Karnataka. He was protesting outside the Bengaluru Police Commissioner’s Office and said the chief of the sting operation was arrested in the first place, and if the chief suspect was not arrested in two days, his party would embark on a strike.
His protest is also adding another dimension of political tension to the case, with Kumaraswamy also claiming that the police are not investigating him and that they are trying to hide the truth and not only the fact but also bring the truth in the case by targeting his party.
Kumaraswamy claimed JD(S) social media and IT cell workers were under police scrutiny after former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah filed a complaint. Shankar and Mohan, belonging to the JD(S) IT cell, were taken into custody in connection with the sting operation case, the party said.
Kumaraswamy has questioned the reason for police action and said that investigators focused on party workers instead of taking any immediate action against the person charged with the sting operation. He alleged that one of the party workers had been arrested for questioning without prior notice and taken off to an undisclosed location for several hours.
The JD(S) leaders are now angry over the police’s handling of the investigation. The exact circumstances of the questioning and the legal status of the individuals involved would need to be established through official police statements and case records.
At the protest steps outside the Police Commissioner’s Office in Bengaluru, Kumaraswamy protested against what he described as the unfair treatment of JD(S) workers. He said he wanted to see the alleged mastermind behind the sting operation arrested and asked that the investigation be conducted against all those involved rather than those of his party.
This is how a leader stands by his karyakartas🔥 Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy staged a sit in at Bengaluru Police Commissioner’s office, telling police to question him instead of targeting JDS workers.. Hey @BJP4Karnataka take note. This is what standing up for your workers looks like👏🏻 https://t.co/U0siVCwEN4
— Akshay Akki ಅಕ್ಷಯ್🇮🇳 (@FollowAkshay1) October 15, 2026
Kumaraswamy issued a 48-hour ultimatum as he said the JD(S) would pressure the police to respond to the party’s accusations, and to show they were doing so in a fair way. His comments have revived the sting operation controversy in Karnataka and are making it both political leaders’ and police’s problem.
Bengaluru’s Police Commissioner, as reported by the Indian media, tried to persuade Kumaraswamy to end the protest and assured him that the investigation would be fair. But the Union Minister insisted that the inquiry should also look at his own role if necessary, to determine if he was involved in the matter so that the truth would have to be found out.
Kumaraswamy had said the police should investigate him too, and he said he wanted to see the police investigate him as well rather than suspect JD(S) workers in detail and give him some suspicion on JD(S) workers. Kumaraswamy said he had no objection to a fair investigation and wanted the facts to be made public.
After the Commissioner said he would investigate the case, which he said was fair, Kumaraswamy discontinued the protest. The exchange provided a temporary respite from the confrontations outside the police office, but the party’s call for the arrest of the alleged mastermind is at the heart of the argument.
Kumaraswamy held a press conference at the JD(S) office in Sheshadripuram, Bengaluru, on Friday when he questioned the methods used by investigators in the sting operation case. He alleged that there was a campaign to draw him into the controversy and called upon the police to investigate all aspects of the case thoroughly. It has become politically charged because it is over a sting operation, a complaint against Siddaramaiah and the police action against the JD(S) IT cell by the police.
But Kumaraswamy's accusations are not facts and should not be taken as settled, and should not be taken as fact. The police version of events, the facts of the complaint and the evidence gathered in the case are important to know the full picture of the dispute.
All of these developments will keep the sting operation case on the agenda at the centre of Karnataka’s political landscape next time, especially if JD(S) doesn’t back down on its warning of further protests. Kumaraswamy has made it clear his party wants the mastermind arrested and the investigation conducted without political bias.
The Police Commissioner’s assurance of a fair investigation led to the immediate cancellation of the protest, but questions arise about the allegations of the JD(S) workers and the scope of the sting operation. There will be several more investigations, but no official announcement of arrests or further questioning for the next step will come until the police have been made and the evidence is available and political targeting and attempts by political leaders to pin them down should be based on those who came up with the allegations, not on some proven conclusions.
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