Kumaraswamy alleges 'cover-up' of Ballari firing, seeks CBI probe
Bengaluru (PTI): Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Monday alleged a systematic conspiracy by the Karnataka government to "cover up" the recent Ballari firing incident and demanded a CBI probe into the death of a Congress worker.
He also claimed that the victim’s body was illegally subjected to two post-mortem examinations.
Citing what he described as a "collapse of law and order" in Karnataka, he demanded that the case be handed over to the CBI.
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Addressing a press conference at the JD(S) State office, JP Bhavan, Kumaraswamy said the issue was not just the killing of a party worker but the alleged attempts by the government to shield those responsible.
He accused Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and State Home Minister G Parameshwara of making contradictory statements and "failing" to act decisively.
“As per the information available to me, Congress worker Rajashekhar’s body was subjected to post-mortem examination twice,” Kumaraswamy said.
He suggested that the second autopsy was conducted as part of an effort to "alter the narrative" surrounding the shootout.
He questioned the need for a second autopsy. “What were the findings of the first post-mortem report? What does the second post-mortem report say? Why was a second post-mortem conducted, and who exerted pressure for it?”
Kumaraswamy alleged that pellets were found during the first examination and that a second post-mortem was used to falsely fix responsibility on Gangavathi BJP MLA G Janardhana Reddy.
Calling the state government’s probe "meaningless", the Union Minister said conflicting claims by the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister had eroded public trust.
“Under these circumstances, what kind of investigation can this government conduct?” he asked, reiterating his demand for a CBI inquiry.
Kumaraswamy also questioned the selective suspension of officials. “If the SP is at fault, aren’t the Additional SP and IG also responsible?”
Alleging political bias in the handling of the case, Kumaraswamy charged the government with "protecting" the accused, including a close associate of Ballari MLA Nara Bharath Reddy.
According to him, law and order has completely collapsed in the state.
Tension flared up in Ballari on January 1 after clashes allegedly broke out between supporters of BJP MLA Janardhana Reddy and Congress MLA Bharath Reddy over the installation of banners.
Rajashekhar was killed in the firing and police have detained three private security guards of Bharath Reddy's supporter Sathish Reddy.
The police have arrested 26 people in connection with multiple incidents of violence, including stone-pelting and firing.
The BJP has alleged that this was an attempt to eliminate Janardhana Reddy as petrol bombs were also ferried to the venue, right next to his house in Ballari.
Karnataka Home Minister Parameshwara said the state government was mulling handing over the matter to the CID.
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Second PUC results: Life convict clears exam with distinction, DGP lauds effort
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Bengaluru: A life convict lodged in Ballari Central Prison has successfully cleared the second PUC examination.
Ashok Kumar S, who appeared for the examination under prison escort, secured 481 marks out of 600, registering 80.1 percent.
Director General of Police (Prisons and Correctional Services), Alok Kumar (IPS), shared the development on his official ‘X’ handle, commending the inmate’s achievement.
In his post, he stated that it was heartening to see a life convict score over 80 percent in the examination, adding that the inmate had appeared from Ballari Central Prison under escort.
It’s heartening to see that one of our life convict prisoners Ashok has obtained 80.1% marks in PUC exam. He appeared under Prison escort from Ballari Central Prison for his exams.
— alok kumar (@alokkumar6994) April 9, 2026
Glad to see that Walls of the prison has not subdued his hopes for a better future. pic.twitter.com/Nzlcy076SR
He further noted that the achievement reflected that the “walls of the prison have not subdued his hopes for a better future.”
Alok Kumar in his post also shared the result sheet of Ashok.
The Karnataka School Examination and Assessment Board (KSEAB) declared the second PUC results for 2026 on April 9.
A total of 6,32,200 students appeared for the examination across all streams, of whom 5,46,698 passed, recording an overall pass percentage of 86.48 per cent.
