CBI raids on ex-COP: "no reason to panic," says HD Kumaraswamy

As the CBI raided the office and residence of former Bengaluru Police Commissioner Alok Kumar on Thursday in connection with a phone tapping case, former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said he is not worried as he has no connection with the matter.

"Let them raid whoever they want to. Why are you asking me? How am I connected to it?" Kumaraswamy told reporters in reaction to the raids on Kumar.

When it was pointed out that the searches pertained to phone tapping during his tenure as chief minister, Kumaraswamy said, "Everybody does it during their tenure. If they investigate how the phone tapping happened in the past, then why should I be worried about it?"   

Kumaraswamy said he has no reason to get worried because he has no connection with the matter.

To a question that the CBI may question him, the JDS leader said "Let them come. As per the law of the land, anyone can be questioned and investigated. Why should I panic?"  

CBI sleuths on Thursday morning swooped down on the residence and office of Alok Kumar.

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Police said about 20 CBI officials reached Kumar's residence at Adugodi and questioned him. They reportedly looked for some pen drive and computers.

While confirming the raids, a CBI officer declined to divulge details.

The Karnataka government handed over the phone tapping case to the CBI after a few MLAs alleged that their phone calls were intercepted.

A few police officers too complained that their phones were tapped including the present Bengaluru police commissioner Bhaskar Rao.

As the BJP government came to power, it removed Alok Kumar as the commissioner of police (COP) and appointed Rao in his place.

Days later, an audio clip went viral containing a purported conversation between Rao and a middleman where the former was allegedly lobbying for the post of Bengaluru police commissioner.

Taking a serious note of it, Rao complained to the Director General of Police Neelamani M Raju who ordered an inquiry led by joint commissioner of police (crime) Sandeep Patil in mid-August.

Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa ordered an inquiry by CBI which took up the case on August 31.

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