New Delhi:
A Congress worker today garlanded Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Congress' Lok Sabha candidates during the party's roadshow in south Bengaluru. However, what caught everyone's attention was the holstered pistol he tried to hold while getting into the open-topped vehicle next to Siddaramaiah, who was campaigning for Sowmya Reddy near Madiwala in the city's southeast.
Video showed the man hurling congressional leaders onto the truck while dangling a firearm from his belt. As he stepped out of the vehicle, Siddaramaiah and the others noticed the gun.
The incident raised eyebrows and several questions about security protocol violations as the Model Code of Conduct is already in effect. Once the code is imposed, all firearms must be surrendered to the relevant police station and any exemptions can only be obtained with an exempt permit. Once the elections are over, the guns will be returned to their rightful owners.
The man has been identified as a Riyaz, police said. He has been carrying a weapon since a life-threatening attack a few years ago and was therefore exempt from surrendering his weapon, he clarified.
“The incident took place near Wilson Garden. As far as the weapon is concerned, it is a weapon he had for self-defense as he had been attacked earlier. Based on all this, an investigation is underway,” the deputy commissioner said of Police (Bengaluru). South), Lokesh said.
Vijayendra Yediyurappa – the son of former Chief Minister and BJP leader BS Yediyurappa – tweeted about the incident: “While election code of conduct is in force, a man with a gun hurled the Chief Minister and Congress candidates during the election roadshow . It is an alarming development. It is a mystery why the police, who confiscate guns from those who obtain gun permits for self-defense and keep them until the end of the election process, did not confiscate this person's gun. “Who is this person? His background must be investigated. The incident shows that the Congress will hold elections with such people… Ever since the Congress came to power, the mischief of vandals has been recurring again and again. The Election Commission must take serious action today take action against this incident, besides closely monitoring the activities of anti-social forces and taking all precautions for peaceful elections.