‘Political jealousy’, ‘police failure’ led to Ballari violence: Congress panel

A fact-finding committee of Congress has found that ‘political jealousy’ triggered the Ballari violence that claimed the life of Rajashekar, a party worker, on January 1.

The committee, headed by Guarantee Implementation Committee Chairman H M Revanna, submitted its report to KPCC President and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Thursday. 

Revanna has also flagged “serious police lapses” in pre-empting and preventing the situation from escalating, while expressing concern over the growing menace of politicians hiring private gunmen, especially in Ballari district.

The Ballari violence was a fallout of the “political jealousy” of the BJP leaders against Congress MLA Nara Bharath Reddy, who had led and garnered huge support for the installation of the Maharshi Valmiki statue in the city, the committee said in the report.

The committee comprised Raichur MP Kumar Naik, Challakere MLA T Raghu Murthy, MLCs F H Jakkappanavar and Basanagouda Badarli and former MP Jayaprakash Hegde.

The committee members visited Ballari and reviewed the situation on January 3.

Rajashekhar was killed during the clashes between the supporters of Bharath Reddy and BJP MLA Gali Janardhana Reddy. The violence was triggered by a dispute related to putting up banners on the unveiling of the Maharshi Valmiki statue outside Janardhana Reddy’s house. The flex boards were pulled down in vengeance and to provoke, the committee said in the report, which has still not been made public.

The Ballari police have filed multiple FIRs and arrested 26 persons from both political parties. The state government has rejected the BJP’s demand for a CBI probe.

The government transferred DIG of Ballari range Vartika Katiyar and suspended SP Pavan Nejjur for alleged mishandling of the situation.

Bharath Reddy had led a grand procession (Pura pravesha) on December 25, held to receive the Valmiki statue, proposed to be installed at SP Circle in Ballari city. There was a huge turnout of 5,000 people, including the BJP supporters. Flex boards and banners were put up across the town and also outside Janardhana Reddy’s (house) compound. But Reddy’s supporters tearing down the Valmiki banners triggered the violence as Bharath Reddy’s aide Satish Reddy and his men were assaulted by former minister B Sriramulu and Janardhana Reddy’s supporters.

Janardhana Reddy was upset that local leader Sridhar Reddy, close to veteran BJP leader B S Yediyurappa, was now in Bharath Reddy’s camp, the committee said in the report. 

Another provocation was Sriramulu opposing the new statue and giving a call to boycott the event, as he had already installed a Valmiki statue, but on private property. The new statue, proposed to be erected on public land, was welcomed by all.

The report also indicated that the police failed to read the situation and said that prohibitory orders should have been in place as soon as the police learnt about the (flex) dispute.

The SP was posted very recently, and the IGP failed to avert the incident. The police were ill-prepared to control the situation, though the flex boards were pulled down earlier in the day, and the situation escalated and turned volatile by evening and resulting in the death of a Congress worker, the committee said. 

Contrary to the BJP leaders’ claim, the committee said that they were “ready” for a confrontation and had stocked lathis and chilli powder, which was evident in the videos gathered by the panel and now in the public domain.

The Congress workers were not armed, and it was the BJP leaders who provoked the Congress supporters. As soon as Satish Reddy was injured, his private gunmen opened fire in the air. Some eyewitnesses claimed that some shots were fired from the terrace of Janardhana Reddy’s office too, and there are videos to prove the same, said the report.

Even as the committee admitted that there was firing from both sides, it considered it prudent to await the FSL report to ascertain whose bullet killed the party worker.

‘Menace of hiring private gunmen’

A major concern raised by the panel is the growing menace of politicians hiring private gunmen, which it dubbed “Andhra style” security cover.

The situation in Karnataka does not warrant the use of private gunmen by any politician, not even ministers, as there is no threat and also because they are elected representatives expected to be among the masses. Flaunting the gunmen has become a fashion, and it is not due to any threat, said a senior member of the panel.

“If you are a people’s representative, why should you indulge in hate or vindictive politics?” the member asked.

The report to be submitted to the state government has also recommended adequate compensation to the family of the deceased, a house and a government job to the deceased worker’s sister (a widow), as he was the sole breadwinner of the family.