BALLARI: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Tuesday said the recent violence in Ballari was triggered by jealousy over public response to the installation of a Valmiki statue in Ballari, with a Congress fact-finding committee concluding that the incident occurred after a banner was removed in an insulting manner.
Shivakumar said here that the committee had informed the party that some elements, unable to tolerate the popular support for the Valmiki statue, tried to remove the banner which escalated into the unfortunate incident.
“If leaders like Janardhan Reddy or Sriramulu had any objection they could have informed the municipal commissioner, police officials or elected representatives and had it removed officially. Instead, the banner was torn down in a manner that insulted Valmiki,” he added
He said Congress workers later tried to reinstall the banner when the violence broke out. “The police acted firmly and took necessary decisions. Arrests have already been made, and actions of private security guards are also under scrutiny,” he said.
On demands for Z-category security to former minister and MLA G Janardhan Reddy, he said police security has already been provided to MLAs and MPs. “If Z-category security is required, the Union government must extend it. We won’t object to it,” he said.
Taking strong exception to Union minister HD Kumaraswamy’s allegation that the postmortem on Congress worker Rajashekhar Reddy who died in the firing incident was conducted twice, Shivakumar said, “I spoke to the district medical officer and he said only one postmortem was conducted between 6 am and 8 am.
On what basis is Kumaraswamy saying that two postmortems were done and misleading the state.” He said, “Our MLAs are young and emotional, but police officers confirmed that they cooperated with the investigation and did not cross legal limits.”
‘Party stands with deceased worker’s family’
After visiting the residence of deceased Congress worker Rajashekhar Reddy, Shivakumar said the party stood firmly with the bereaved family. On financial assistance or a government job to members of the family, he said such issues will be considered within the legal framework. On FIRs being registered on both sides and only workers being arrested, he said the decision rested with the home minister and police. “Government interference in investigations is not right. Police have the authority to act as required,” he said.
On suspending SP Pavan Nejjur within seven hours of assuming charge, Shivakumar said he will not reveal details, but the officer was not in a position to respond when he spoke to him.