Karnataka CM Kumaraswamy lands in controversy; heard ordering someone to ‘kill mercilessly’

Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy has landed in a massive controversy after being heard on camera telling someone to “kill mercilessly” to avenge the killing of a local leader of his party, the Janata Dal Secular (JDS).

A local journalist on Monday recorded a video clip in which Kumaraswamy is heard saying, “He (H Prakash) was a good man. I don’t know who killed him in this way. Kill the miscreant mercilessly in a shootout. There would be no problem.”

Responding to the comments which were circulated and criticised, CM HD Kumaraswamy called them an “emotional” reaction.

He clarified saying, “It was not my order, I was emotional at that moment. They are the reason for 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.”

Meanwhile, leaders close to Kumaraswamy also said that he was shocked to hear about the killing and it was just an outburst.

It is to be noted that the local JDS leader, H Prakash, was hacked to death on Monday around 4.30 pm in Mandya in south Karnataka, reportedly by four men on motorcycles who chased his car down, forced it to stop and attacked him with machetes.

They left him slumped inside the SUV, drenched in blood. He was taken to the Mandya Institute of Medical Sciences, where he died.

Later, in a statement, the Chief Minister’s office said, “Prakash was a loyal party worker. The district police have been directed to take steps to arrest the accused.”

HD Kumaraswamy became chief minister of Karnataka in May this year after forming an alliance with the Congress following elections that threw up a hung verdict.

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