Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy alleges Hassan DC retained her post by paying bribe district minister

According to Mr. Kumaraswamy, the conversation was about seeking permission for three stone crushers.

Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy has alleged that the Hassan Deputy Commissioner retained her post by paying ₹75 lakh to Excise Minister K.M. Shivalinge Gowda, who is also the in-charge Minister of Hassan district.

Speaking to presspersons in Hassan after visiting the historic Hasanamba temple in Hassan on Sunday (November 8, 2026), Mr. Kumaraswamy read out excerpts from a written script of what he described as a WhatsApp conversation between an unidentified person and Shashikiran, the personal assistant to the Hassan Deputy Commissioner. He said he received the contents of the conversation from an official who met him the previous night.

According to Mr. Kumaraswamy, the conversation was about seeking permission for three stone crushers. The personal assistant allegedly demanded ₹60 lakh to get the clearance. As the person on the other end bargained, Mr. Shashikiran is said to have listed the people with whom the amount had to be shared.

Mr. Kumaraswamy said the conversation also mentioned that Mr. Shivalinge Gowda wanted to transfer the incumbent Deputy Commissioner from Hassan. However, she allegedly managed to convince the Minister by paying ₹75 lakh through Arsikere Tahsildar Santosh.

The script of the purported conversation was also distributed to journalists. Mr. Kumaraswamy said it also referred to the Hassan MP and several officials of the district.

He demanded an investigation into the allegations and urged the police to seize the mobile phone from the person concerned for further examination.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who also visited the temple the same day, said the Deputy Commissioner had been doing a good job. “However, allegations are being made against her because she did not yield to their demands,” he said.

Hassan Deputy Commissioner K.S. Latha Kumari has denied the allegations made against her, saying she has never done anything illegal. “I have not done anything wrong, I am not doing anything wrong, and I will never do anything wrong,” she said.

Ms. Kumari said that if any wrong message had been sent by her personal assistant or anyone in his section, proper action would be taken. She condemned the circulation of “false and baseless information”. “Let there be an inquiry. Those who have erred should face action,” she said.

She said a complaint would be filed with the cyber police, as spreading false information was a crime. “We will bring out the truth,” she added.