Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge is facing a police complaint over his remarks linking the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to the seizure of a large consignment of live ammunition in Bihar and Haryana.
Filed by Tejas A Gowda at Banashankari police station on Tuesday, the complaint seeks criminal action against Kharge, alleging that his post on X spread false information and could disturb communal harmony. Police said no FIR had been registered in the case so far.
At the centre of the complaint is the seizure of approximately 44,250 live cartridges in Bihar and Haryana. Gowda alleged that Kharge’s social media post attempted to connect the RSS with the cases, giving the impression that the organisation was involved in criminal activities. The complainant has not disclosed any association with the organisation.
Gowda has invoked Sections 192, 196 and 353 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deal with provocation intended to cause a riot, promoting enmity between groups and statements conducive to public mischief. He alleged that the minister knowingly circulated information that was false and called for an investigation into whether the post could have an impact on communal relations in Karnataka.
The complaint also asks the police to preserve digital evidence relating to the post, obtain case records from Bihar and Haryana police, and establish whether the information was knowingly disseminated. Gowda has sought an impartial investigation, free from political influence.
The controversy has also drawn a response from BJP MP Tejasvi Surya, who accused the minister of spreading misinformation.
“We have a fake news peddler as Home Minister of our state. And this bloke wanted to set up some fact-check unit or something. Sad state of affairs,” Surya wrote on X.
Separately, former Bengaluru Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao has questioned Kharge’s conduct in a letter to the minister.
Rao’s letter referred to the image circulated by Kharge in connection with the ammunition case, which was subsequently questioned over allegations that it had been manipulated using artificial intelligence. He pointed to reported differences between the original photograph and the version shared online.
He also questioned the apparent contradiction between the controversy and the government’s stated position on combating misinformation through fact-checking initiatives.
Rather than engaging in such controversies, Rao urged Kharge to address long-standing issues within the police department. These include vacancies, inadequate infrastructure, the modernisation of police stations, stronger forensic laboratories and improved cybercrime investigation facilities.
“I sincerely urge you to exercise restraint, maintain the decorum expected of your office and focus your energies on strengthening the police administration,” Rao wrote.
