BENGALURU: Upset over Janata Dal (Secular) leader Honnalagere Prakash’s murder in Maddur town in Mandya district on Monday, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy directed policemen to track down the killers and shoot them mercilessly.
“He was a good man. I don’t know who did it. I do not know how you are going to handle it. It’s your responsibility. Shoot them mercilessly, no problem. I don’t care...,” the angry Chief Minister instructed a police officer over phone.
The Chief Minister was at a helipad at the Sainik school campus in Vijayapura when he was informed of the murder by his staff around 5.15 pm.
Prakash, 48, was stabbed to death by unidentified assailants at TB Circle in Maddur town. His supporters staged a flash protest and traffic on the busy Mysuru-Bengaluru highway was blocked for some time.
Prakash was close to the CM and had played an active role in the recent elections, said a JD (S) leader.
The Chief Minister took to social media later and clarified that it was an emotional reaction while seeking information from the police officer. “It was not an order and there is no need to read too much into it,” he said.