Hassan (Ktaka), 08 Nov (H.S.): Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Sunday levelled serious corruption allegations against the Hassan district administration and District In-charge Minister Shivalingegowda, claiming that lakhs of rupees were collected as bribes for granting licences to stone-crushing units and clearing official files.

Addressing a press conference in Hassan after visiting the Hassanamba temple, Kumaraswamy released printouts of purported WhatsApp conversations allegedly involving Shashikiran, personal assistant to Hassan Deputy Commissioner Lathakumari.

The Union Minister claimed that the conversations revealed an organised system of collecting illegal payments through intermediaries for processing crusher licences and other administrative approvals.

According to Kumaraswamy, one conversation concerned three pending crusher-related files, with an alleged demand for Rs 60 lakh to secure their clearance.

He claimed that the messages suggested a portion of the money collected was intended for the Deputy Commissioner, while the remaining amount would be distributed among other officials.

Referring to another alleged exchange in April, Kumaraswamy said Rs 15 lakh had been demanded for completing a particular assignment. He alleged that the messages indicated the Deputy Commissioner would not approve the work if the payment fell short of the demanded amount.

Kumaraswamy also referred to alleged discussions involving Minister Shivalingegowda and the possibility of transferring the Deputy Commissioner.

In another allegation, he claimed that Rs 75 lakh had been arranged in connection with discussions involving Arsikere Tahsildar Santosh.

The Union Minister also mentioned Hassan MP Shreyas Patel while questioning the functioning of the district administration and the alleged influence of political leaders over official decisions.

The authenticity of the purported WhatsApp conversations and the corruption allegations could not be independently verified. The allegations remain unproven, and the responses of the officials and political leaders named were not immediately available.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman