BALLARI: In a breakthrough in the banner clash case reported outside the residence of former minister Gali Janardhan Reddy, Ballari police arrested 26 accused, including a private gunman who allegedly shot at Reddy’s house on Thursday night.
The gunman, Gurucharan Singh, is attached to Satish Reddy -- an aide of MLA Bharat Reddy. Police sources said that of the arrested, 13 are BJP workers and 10 Congress workers, reflecting the politically sensitive nature of the incident. Six separate complaints and counter-complaints have been registered at the Brucepet police station. All the accused were subjected to medical examination at the Ballari Institute of Medical Sciences.
The police took action after video footage and photographs surfaced, allegedly showing gunfire aimed at Janardhan Reddy’s house. Investigators suspect that he discharged his weapon during the clash.
DCM to meet family of deceased Cong worker in Ballari today
Three other private gunmen, who were at the spot, have been detained and are being interrogated at a private hotel. On Sunday evening, the police conducted a spot inspection at Singh’s residence at MRV Layout. Several items believed to be relevant to the investigation were seized, sources said.
The police on Monday summoned a bomb disposal squad from Hubballi to inspect the incident site. Efforts are now under way to trace the bullet fired during the incident and to recover any metal fragments from the spot.
On Thursday, the clash escalated into a riot-like situation, leading to the death of a Congress worker, further intensifying political tensions in the district. The police stated that the investigation is progressing on different fronts.
BJP former minister B Sriramulu alleged that the postmortem of the Congress worker who died in the clash was done twice to save MLA Bharath Reddy and his followers.
On Tuesday, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar will visit Ballari to meet the family of the deceased party worker.
Accused remanded in JC
The special court to deal with cases registered against sitting and former MPs/MLAs on Monday remanded 26 accused, who were brought from Ballari to be produced before the designated court, to 14 days of judicial custody.
They were produced before the special court and the police did not seek further extension of their custody, following which the court remanded them in judicial custody.