The Central Crime Branch (CCB) 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.
Siddaramaiah, a Congress Working Committee member, alleged that videos were being circulated on social media as part of a conspiracy to damage his reputation. The police are 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. He provided details of specific social media accounts allegedly involved in circulating the content. The court directed the concerned platforms to block access to the disputed material, including clips, screenshots, transcripts and edited versions.
The police action coincides with a separate legal proceeding in which the 19th Additional City Civil and Sessions Court, presided over by judge B Pushpanjali, granted an interim injunction on Tuesday restraining 42 media organisations and digital platforms from publishing or circulating two videos allegedly linking Siddaramaiah to the controversy.
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. “The plaintiff has specifically disputed the authenticity, credibility, intention and the propriety of circulation without verification,” the court observed.
“The CCB began monitoring platforms and tracing internet protocol (IP) addresses.
The two suspects are being questioned at an undisclosed location,” an officer briefed on the investigation said.
Meanwhile, Union minister and Janata Dal (Secular) leader H D Kumaraswamy has demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the controversy. He has 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. The allegations against Shivakumar have not been established.
