Siddaramaiah urged state Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai to raise his concern over the matter. (File)
Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly Siddaramaiah on Sunday took a dig at state government and police department over the alleged CD case row in which Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ramesh Jarkiholi is accused of sexual harassment.
Taking to Twitter, the former Karnataka Chief Minister said, "The police department and state government are responsible for pledging the pride of Karnataka in front of the whole country in the CD case. It is shameful that police could not trace the CD victim even after 20 days."
He also said that the CD case is turning into a political blame game with new developments each day. It can reach a logical conclusion only when the victim reaches out to the police and give her version, the Congress leader said.
"The victim in the CD is constantly releasing her statements to the media through videos, reaching out to her parents and interacting with her lawyers. But the police are unable to track her. What does this mean? Is the police playing to the tune of the state government?" Mr Siddaramaiah said.
He also urged state Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai to raise his concern over the matter.
"The videos released by the victim clearly show that the girl does not have confidence on both, the state government and the police department. It looks like she is of the opinion that police are involved in the conspiracy against her. Home minister BS Bommai should address this concern," he said.
He also added, "This CD case is a classic example for the breakdown of administrative and police machinery in the state under the BJP government. What does it mean when police says that they are unable to trace the girl? Is she like Vijay Mallya or Nirav Modi hiding abroad?"
A case was registered on March 2 against Ramesh Jarkiholi for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman after a purported sex tape surfaced showing him in a compromising position with a woman.
Following the allegations, Jarkiholi resigned on March 3. He had denied allegations that he had sexually exploited a woman in return for a government job, saying that the scandal was a conspiracy against him and that the CD was "fake".
Six ministers in the BS Yediyurappa government had on March 5 moved a Bengaluru court seeking a stay against media outlets from publishing or broadcasting anything defamatory against them.