'Phones of my family and supporters being tapped,' HD Kumaraswamy alleges; govt denies it
Bengaluru, May 20: Former Karnataka Chief Minister and JD(S) second-in-command H D Kumaraswamy on Monday alleged that 40 phones including his own and those of his family members and supporters are being tapped.
Even as he made an appeal to his nephew and Hassan JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna to come back to the country, Kumaraswamy accused the government of spying on himself and his family.
Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara dismissed the allegation as baseless and a means to gain publicity.
“Our phones are being tapped. I know it. Forty phones of people around me are being tapped. Whatever discussions are happening on phone are being monitored. H D Revanna’s phone is also being tapped,” Kumaraswamy alleged.
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Revanna is Kumaraswamy’s brother who was released on bail in kidnapping and sexual assault cases.
The JD(S) 'first family' is in trouble after a huge cache of explicit videos showing many women being sexually assaulted and filmed allegedly by Prajwal became public.
Prajwal, grandson of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda and son of Revanna, is hiding in a foreign country as the Karnataka government formed a Special Investigation Team to probe the case.
The 33-year-old JD(S) leader is the NDA’s Lok Sabha candidate from Hassan, against whom an arrest warrant has been issued by a court. Interpol has also issued a Blue Corner Notice seeking information on his whereabouts.
Kumaraswamy appealed publicly to his nephew to return to India and cooperate with the investigation.
“Come back to India and cooperate with the investigation. How long this ‘police and thief’ game will go on? Your grandfather always wanted you to grow politically. If you want to honour his reputation, then come back to India,” he said.
He added that he has asked his brother Revanna to help bring back his son.
Kumaraswamy, who is the JD(S) state president, claimed that if he knew beforehand about the explicit videos and sexual assault cases, he would not have allowed him to flee the country.
He also apologised to the victims of the sexual assault case.
“I once again publicly apologise to my mothers and sisters who are passing through painful mental agony. I understand their sufferings,” the JD(S) second-in-command said.
“I would like to say that many such cases have happened. The intensity of such cases may be high or low. It is such a case which is unacceptable and makes us hang our heads in shame,” he noted.
Accusing DCM Shivakumar of being the "architect" ("sutradhari") of distribution of thousands of pen drives carrying the sexual assault videos, Kumaraswamy said, “You (Shivakumar) are the lead person for distributing those pen drives. Case should be filed against Shivakumar and Shivarame Gowda.”
The JD(S) leader was referring to an audio going viral in which senior Congress leader L R Shivarame Gowda is purportedly heard telling BJP leader G Devaraje Gowda to distribute pen drives containing the explicit videos.
“Distribute the pen drive and put the blame on Kumaraswamy, creating an impression that he wanted to promote his son (Nikhil Kumaraswamy),” Shivarame Gowda has purportedly said in the audio.
He further allegedly "advised" Devaraje Gowda not to underestimate the JD(S) first family, including former PM Deve Gowda, Kumaraswamy and other members of his family.
“The government is committed to ruin their (Deve Gowda and his family) lives. I am surprised why Deve Gowda has not died by suicide yet,” Shivarame Gowda is allegedly heard telling Devaraje Gowda in the audio clip.
In response, Devaraje Gowda allegedly told him that sharing these videos would badly affect the lives of many women. To this, Shivarame Gowda allegedly replied that there was no need to bother about it.
The JD(S) took to social media saying that the audio makes clear the intention of the Congress to finish Deve Gowda’s family.
Dismissing the accusation of phone tapping, Shivakumar, who is also Congress Karnataka unit president, said Kumaraswamy and Revanna were not terrorists to warrant such action.
Speaking to reporters at his residence, he said, "Government taps phones of terrorists with due processes. There is no need to tap the phones of political leaders in the state. They are casting these aspersions for publicity."
He also said he has nothing to do with the "pen drive case".
Home Minister Parameshwara too rejected the charge of phonetapping.
"I deny it totally. If he has any proof that his phone is being tapped by so and so... (he should bring it forward)," he told reporters in Hubballi.
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Nicobar Tribal Council Alleges FRA Violations in Great Nicobar Wildlife Sanctuaries
Sri Vijaypuram (Port Blair): The Tribal Council of Little and Great Nicobar has alleged fresh violations of the Forest Rights Act in the notification of three wildlife sanctuaries linked to the Centre’s ₹92,000-crore Great Nicobar Island project, even as the Calcutta High Court is set to hear petitions challenging the mega project over similar concerns next month.
The Union government had, in October 2022, notified three wildlife sanctuaries in parts of Little Nicobar Island, Menchal Island and Meroe Island for the conservation of leatherback turtles, megapodes and coral ecosystems. The move came after the government acknowledged that the proposed infrastructure project on Great Nicobar Island would affect coral colonies and nesting habitats of endangered species.
However, the tribal council has maintained that the sanctuaries were declared without consultation with the Nicobarese communities who traditionally inhabit and manage these islands.
In a letter dated April 23 addressed to the Assistant Conservator of Forests of the Nicobar Forest Division, the council reiterated its opposition to the sanctuaries and objected to the formation of a committee to determine eco-sensitive zones around the protected areas.
The council said its chairman had not been consulted before being included in the committee and was informed of his membership only a month after the committee was constituted.
The three notified sanctuaries include the Leatherback Turtle Sanctuary in parts of Little Nicobar Island, the Megapode Sanctuary covering the entire Menchal Island and the Coral Sanctuary spanning the whole of Meroe Island.
According to the council, Menchal and Meroe islands hold deep cultural and spiritual significance for the Nicobarese community, which believes the islands are inhabited by the spirits of their ancestors.
The council demanded that the sanctuary notifications be revoked and the eco-sensitive zone committee dissolved, alleging that both decisions were taken against the wishes of the indigenous community.
Meanwhile, Jairam Ramesh has written to Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram alleging violations of the Forest Rights Act in the process of obtaining consent for diversion of forest land for the Great Nicobar project.
Ramesh argued that consent should have been obtained through the Tribal Council representing the Nicobarese communities instead of through Gram Sabhas representing settler families. He also questioned how the government-controlled Andaman Adim Janjati Vikas Samiti could provide consent on behalf of the Shompen community, classified as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group.
He urged the Tribal Affairs Ministry to intervene and seek withdrawal of clearances granted for the project under the Forest Rights Act.
Earlier, Ramesh had also written to Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav alleging that environmental impact studies for the project were conducted in haste and without the detailed seasonal assessments mandated under environmental laws.
The dispute dates back to 2022 when the Andaman and Nicobar administration initiated the process for notifying the three sanctuaries before holding Special Gram Sabhas for diversion of forest land linked to the Great Nicobar project.
In May that year, the administration invited objections and claims regarding the proposed sanctuaries. Subsequently, on July 19, the Nicobar Deputy Commissioner certified that no objections or claims had been received.
The tribal council later wrote to the district administration stating that the notification process was carried out without ensuring that residents of Little Nicobar Island were informed as required by law. It alleged that no public announcements seeking objections were made in villages such as Bahua, Muhincoihn and Kiyang, whose residents traditionally use and manage parts of the notified areas.
The council said the Nicobarese community had protected the islands and wildlife for generations through customary practices and traditional belief systems.
It further argued that the sanctuaries would interfere with long-standing rights over forests and coastal areas. They noted that these areas are used for rituals, plantations, collection of forest produce, construction of huts and canoes, harvesting medicinal plants and worship.
In November 2024, the council objected to draft Island Coastal Regulation Zone plans, demanding basic infrastructure, instead of proposed eco-tourism activities in the sanctuaries. The council demanded better public restrooms, jetties, water facilities, pathways, and mobile connectivity.
The Nicobar administration issued a clarification in May 2025, stating that the sanctuaries would not affect hunting rights available to Scheduled Tribes in the Nicobar Islands. The council, however, rejected the clarification, stating that their dependence on forests and coasts extended far beyond hunting activities.
Earlier this month, a Bench led by the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court dismissed preliminary objections raised by the Union government against petitions challenging the diversion of forest land for the Great Nicobar project. The matter has now been listed for final hearing in June.
