JOIN USSP Harikrishna's bust unveiled in city
The IPS officer Harikrishna who was the SP of Mysore and headed the Special Task Force(STF) constituted to nab forest brigand Veerappan was killed in an attack launched by brigand and his associates in 1992.
District Incharge Minister Suresh Kumar unveiled the bust of Harikrishna and also named the junction where the bust is installed as Martyrs circle.
Though the installation of the bust was formally mooted during the period of former police commissioner Praveen Sood, it took more than four years for it to materialise following a wrangling between the police department and the MCC and the procedural delays involving approval of MCC council.
The bust finally saw the light of the day more than a year after the installation in the junction infront of the SP office at Nazarbad here, amidst the presence of the family members of policemen killed during STF operation. The bust has the names of 25 STF personnel from Karnataka killed in the operation against forest brigand Veerappan in different times.
In his address, Minister Suresh Kumar said though late, the unveiling of the bust was an appropriate event on an appropriate occasion, on that of independence day.
“Our society has not forgotten our martyrs. We are with the family members of the policemen who laid down their lives in STF and various other operations. The Martyrs circle near the SP office is a mark of honour to all those martyrs and the society will always pay rich tributes to them,” the Minister remarked.
The martyrs like SP Harikrishna are a role model to the younger generation. The teachers should educate their students about the sacrifices made by the officers like him, Suresh Kumar said.
He appealed the people of Mysore to pay their rich tributes to all the martyrs of the Country through the martyrs’ circle in city. Though, there has been a delay in dedicating the bust and the circle, there was no denial for it, Suresh Kumar, who is also the Minister for Law and Urban Development clarified.
The Minister also dedicated Kittur Rani Chennamma circle near the Police Commissioner’s residence on the occasion.
Police Commissioner Sunil Agarwal thanked Mayor Sandesh Swamy, Corporation Commissioner K S Raykar, who were present on the occasion and the MCC councillors for the cooperation extended for installing the bust and giving the MCC approval for naming the circle after Martyrs.
Families honoured
In a moving gesture, the family members of 25 martyrs were felicitated as a mark of respect for the departed souls. SP Harikrishna’s wife Preethi Harikrishna joined with her children Pradyumna and Jyothika for the honour. Lakshmi Bai(wife of Benagonda), K P Muthavva(mother of K P Machaiah), Mangalamma(wife of Rachappa), Bojamma(wife of M K Uttappa), Yamuna Kumari(wife of Prem Kumar C K Damayanthi(wife of C M Kalappa), Farooq Ahmed(brother of SI Shakeel Ahmed), Saroja(wife of Prabhakar), Sarojini(wife of Talekar), Lakshmi (wife of Ramalingu), Darshan Kumar(son of M K Ponnappa), Nagendra Prasad(brother of SI Jagannath), Nagaveni (wife of Elangovan), Rathi(wife of Poovaiah), Jayamma(wife of Siddaraju), Rachappa(brother of K M Appachu), Satyamma(wife of Narasappa) received the honours.
While, the family members of B A Sunder, SI Dinesh, Jayaraju, Ramalingu, N Shankar Rao, Krishnaiah, P T Talawar, could not turn up for the event. The sculptor of Harikrishna’s bust Yogaraj Shilpi was also honoured.
IGP ASN Prasad, IGP Southern Range ASN Murthy, SP Ramasubba, DCP”s Basavaraj Malagatti and Rajendra Prasad, Deputy Director of KPA K T Balakrishna, MLA Tanveer Sait, MLC G Madhusudan, Deputy Mayor Pushpalatha Jagannath, Chairman of Karnataka Exhibition Authority B P Manjunath, corporators Sharadamma, Nandish Preetham were present.