Bengaluru, Nov. 8 -- Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy has accused officials in Hassan district and Minister Shivalingegowda of involvement in alleged bribery, presenting excerpts from purported WhatsApp conversations of Deputy Commissioner's personal assistant Shashikiran.

The Union Minister claimed that the messages exposed demands for money in connection with the clearance of three files relating to stone crushers. Reading out the alleged exchanges, he said the conversations indicated that payments were being collected and distributed among officials and staff.

One of the messages reportedly referred to payments made over three years and questioned why additional money was being sought. In response, the other party allegedly said that th...