JD(S) leader Prakash was murdered on Monday. Party workers suspect the involvement of a few Congress leaders. While Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy courted controversy with his shootout order, the rift between JD(S) and Congress grew further apart.
Mandya: Few hours after JD(S) leader Prakash's death, many Congress leaders' houses at Toppabahalli in Karnataka were attacked. It is reported that houses belonging to Congress leaders including Devaraju, Muthuraju, Kumar and Patel Puttaswamy were damaged. As per reports,40 JD(S) workers had destroyed the houses.
As per reports, some Congress workers are involved in the murder case. Thus, JD(S) workers have urged Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy to order the police to take strict action against the culprits.
Meanwhile, Kumaraswamy had courted controversy after being caught on camera instructing someone over the phone to "kill mercilessly" those who murdered JD(S) leader Prakash. Later, Kumaraswamy clarified what he said claiming that he didn't pass the order as a chief minister.
However, Kumaraswamy said that the statement was made at the spur of the moment and was not an order passed by him as a chief minister. In a video that went viral on social media, Kumaraswamy was heard saying, "He (Prakash) was a good man. I do not know why they killed him. Shoot them (killers) mercilessly, no problem."
Clarifying the statement, the chief minister said to media, "It was not my order, I was emotional at that moment. They are the reason for the two murders and they were in jail. They came out on bail two days ago and killed another person. This is how they are misusing bail order."
Kumaraswamy also said he instructed the police to take necessary action to ensure that such incidents do not repeat in the state. "And the word used is an emotional response, not an order. I have made it clear it does not need any special meaning," he added.
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