BALLARI: A 32-year-old BJP worker died when a private gunman of Ballari Congress MLA Nara Bharath Reddy opened fire during a clash between the supporters of both parties in the mining city on Thursday evening.
The incident took place near the residence of former minister and Gangavathi MLA Gali Janardhan Reddy in Havambhavi area of the city. Around 25 people were injured in the clash over the installation of a banner. The deceased has been identified as Rajashekar H, a resident of Ballari and a BJP worker. The injured have been admitted to a hospital.
Tension mounted on Thursday evening near Janardhan Reddy’s house after a verbal altercation quickly escalated into stone-pelting between the groups, drawing significant attention due to the location of the incident. The warring groups were supporters of Janardhan Reddy and Nara Reddy, respectively.
The dispute began over preparations for the unveiling of a Valmiki statue scheduled to take place in Ballari on January 3.
It is alleged that supporters of Bharath Reddy objected to the installation of a banner in front of Janardhan Reddy’s house, leading to a heated argument that soon turned violent. Both groups reportedly began pelting stones at each other and MLA Bharath Reddy’s private gunman opened fire, and the bullet hit Rajashekhar.
Police rushed to the spot and resorted to a lathi-charge to disperse the crowd. During the intervention, stones were also reportedly pelted at the police, further escalating the situation. The police force struggled for some time to bring the situation under control. Janardhan Reddy said, “It was a pre-planned attack on me by Nara Reddy and his followers. The firing took place when I came home in a car. This was an attempt by Bharath Reddy and his father to kill me. I will register a complaint soon.”