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State govt forms SIT for probe into Jarkiholi harassment case
Bengaluru: Karnataka home minister Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday announced the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate into the case pertaining to the alleged sex tape of former minister Ramesh Jarkiholi
Bengaluru: Karnataka home minister Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday announced the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate into the case pertaining to the alleged sex tape of former minister Ramesh Jarkiholi.
BJP MLA Jarkiholi had stepped down as Karnataka’s water resources minister on March 3 amid allegations of sexual harassment against him. The formation of the SIT comes a day after Jarkiholi claimed that he was aware of the political conspiracy being hatched against him for around four months.
“In a letter, Ramesh Jarkiholi has said that there was a politically motivated attempt to defame him. He has requested to conduct a thorough investigation into the case. Based on this, after having discussions with the chief minister and senior police officers, we have decided to form an SIT (Special Investigation Team) to probe who conspired in this case and where the CD was prepared,” home minister Bommai said.
He added that Bengaluru police commissioner Kamal Pant has been asked to appoint Additional Commissioner of Police (West) Soumendu Mukherjee to head the SIT.
Social activist Dinesh Kalahalli had alleged that Jarkiholi had sexually exploited an unnamed woman on the false promise of getting her a job in the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited (KPTCL). Kalahalli, however, on last Sunday withdrew his complaint. Following this, on Tuesday, Jarkiholi had called the video “fake”.
“I knew about this conspiracy four months ago (and) was warned about it. I got a call 26 hours in advance from the high command, from my well-wishers that your CD will be released by 5-6 pm the next day. They asked me to take precautionary legal action, but I still did not do it. This is a major political conspiracy,” Jarkiholi had said on Tuesday.
He further claimed that the entire conspiracy was hatched in two apartments around Yeshwantpur area of Bengaluru. He said there were two main conspirators and at least seven more behind them who hatched the plan. He refused to divulge any more details.
His brother and Bharatiya Janata Party legislator Balachandra Jarkiholi on Sunday had alleged that conspirators spent over ₹15 crore to upload the video in Russia.
