CID hounds journalists for leaking footage of Swami Nithyananda's interrogation to TV channels.

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CID hounds journalists for leaking footage of Swami Nithyananda's interrogation to TV channels.u00a0

Filmed again: After the footage showing CID officials questioning Nithyananda was aired on news channels, the investigating agency issued notices to some journalists and attempted to charge them with conspiracy against the state and data theft

After the footage was aired, the CID issued notices to some journalists and attempted to charge them with conspiracy against the state and data theft.

The private technician hired for installing the CCTV was also arrested recently.

"Heads would have rolled in CID and the higher ups wanted to save their skin, while protecting the colleagues," said a source in CID. "And the easy way out was to build a theft case and book vulnerable journalists instead."

Investigation called
Following the incident, Ajaykumar Singh, director general and inspector general of police, called a meeting and reportedly demanded an investigation into how the visuals were leaked. CID chief Dr DV Guru Prasad, however, had different take on the issue. Guruprasad, who is known to be not in good terms with Singh, is in good books of Home Minister Dr V S Acharya and senior CID officers, managed to convince the government to hold the journalists responsible for the leak. A miffed Ajaykumar Singh went on leave. He was upset with the government's intervention in former minister Halappa's case and the way the Swami Nithyananda case was handled. According to insiders, the visuals were in the custody of Bhimaih, the superintendent of police (Admin), CID, while the members of investigating team including K C Charana Reddy, IGP, Malini Krishnamurthy, DIG, M N Reddy, ADGP, and K N Yogappanavar, SP were the main stake holders. If investigation were undertaken into the leak, the officers would have had to face the music.

Serious lapse
"The leak of the interrogation tapes was a serious lapse. It has exposed the chinks in the CID's armour. It gives credence to the view that the department is unable to that it could not hold confidential documents," said the source. "However, with the government backing the senior officers, it was not difficult for them to get away with it.

While Guruprasad was not available for his comments, Charan Reddy said, "There is no question of protecting anybody in the CID and targeting journalists for our faults. The investigation is on and we cannot rule out the possibility of insiders being punished. At the same time, we can not spare outsiders who are found to have been mischievous."

Home Minister VS Acharya refuse to give his view on the footage leak. "These are serious issues. I don't want to discuss them casually," Acharya said.

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