Former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Thursday said that the probe into the Sandalwood drug case would go into cold storage if the police do not go after investors of dance bars and microbreweries in the city. Kumaraswamy, who had four days ago said that drug peddling allegedly happens at dance bars, on Friday reiterated his statement and also indicated that the police were under pressure from government officials to not probe that aspect of the case.
“You will know the fate of this investigation in another 15 days. If the police only go after drug peddlers, then this case, like many others, will go into cold storage,” Kumaraswamy said while adding, “Forget casinos and nightclubs, the root cause of the drug business is in dance bars and microbreweries in Bengaluru.”
HD Kumaraswamy told the media that drugs were allegedly peddled at the dance bar in Le Meridien until 4 am. He also indicated that several investors of microbreweries were also involved in this racket. “The dance bars in Le Meridien, the parties used to happen till 4 am. We’ve seen people fallen on the footpath. On Vittal Mallya Road, there’s a microbrewery in a corner. Who has invested in these dance bars and microbreweries? That needs to be investigated,” he said.
He said that people in the government had invested in microbreweries and were allegedly putting pressure on the police to not probe in that direction. “While I do not say that investors are only politicians, even government officials are involved in this. In my opinion, a lot of people who are involved in the government are investing in these microbreweries and police should find out who, then they can find the link to the drug racket. Only if the investigation is honest it can be taken to a logical end or this case will sit in the cold storage,” he added.
Watch HD Kumaraswamy's statement here:
On September 14, Kumaraswamy had called for the closure of dance bars claiming that they were the root cause for the drug menace. “There has been ample evidence against dance bars in Bengaluru, where many peddlers and addicts come together for a jaunt. The state government must take steps to stop this by banning the dance bars. I had taken measures to shut down these bars but the coalition government was toppled. Yediyurappa can do it even now, as I have completed all the formalities to issue ban orders,” he had said.