Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah seemed to raise his hand at a police officer during Congress’ protest rally in Belagavi on Monday. A video of the incident is now doing the rounds on social media.
Reportedly, disruption at the venue where Siddaramaiah was scheduled to make a public address, led to the Karnataka CM’s angry hand gesture at the police officer.
In a show of frustration, Siddaramaiah raised his hand while addressing the officer, publicly reprimanding him, as seen in the video.
During the CM’s address in Belgavi, a few women, who are reportedly BJP activists, indulged in sloganeering against the State Government and CM and waved a black cloth, reported ANI.
“Hey, come here, who’s the SP? What are you guys doing?” Siddaramaiah was heard saying.
As per multiple reports, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Narayan Bharamani was called to the stage by the Karnataka CM, who addressed the situation directly.
JDS slams Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah
Following the incident, the JDS took to X (formerly Twitter) to accuse Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of arrogance and misconduct. The party criticised him for seemingly raising his hand against the police officer in a public.
JDS asked Siddaramaiah to correct his misconduct:
“Your term in power is only five years, but a government officer serves until the age of 60. Power is not permanent for anyone. Correct your misconduct,” JDS’s post stated.
‘Disgrace of the highest order’
Karnataka BJP spokesperson Vijay Prasad said, “Your act of raising your hand against a police officer is a disgrace of the highest order. Your arrogance has crossed all imaginable limits. This is an unforgivable display of contempt for the very institutions you are sworn to uphold.
“You must immediately and unconditionally apologise to the officer you sought to humiliate. Your insatiable lust for power is corrupting your judgment and dragging your office into shameful depths. Such despicable behaviour is utterly unbecoming of any leader, let alone one occupying the highest seat of the state,” added the BJP spokesperson.
