A Bharatiya Janata Party protest in Harihar over alleged unparliamentary remarks by Karnataka Minister S.S. Mallikarjun against BJP MLA B.P. Harish led to a temporary road blockade, traffic disruption and a confrontation in which some police personnel sustained burn injuries, according to a report by Prajavani.
The protest was organised after BJP workers accused Mallikarjun of using objectionable language against Harish, who had raised his voice on the issue of releasing canal water for farmers. The demonstration took place on Saturday in Harihar, with protesters marching from the BJP office to Gandhi Circle.
At Gandhi Circle, the demonstrators formed a human chain and blocked the road for some time, resulting in traffic congestion in the city. The protest linked a political dispute over the minister’s alleged remarks with the continuing public importance of canal water and farmers’ demands.
During the demonstration, some protesters allegedly set fire to a tyre and an effigy of Minister Mallikarjun after evading police supervision, the report said. A verbal confrontation broke out between police personnel and protesters while officials attempted to extinguish the fire. Some police officers suffered burn injuries during the incident.
Addressing the protesters, BJP district unit president Mellakatte Nagaraj warned that the party would lay siege to the minister’s residence under the leadership of the state unit president if Mallikarjun did not apologise. The statement marked a possible escalation of the protest beyond the local demonstration, although no further action had been reported at the time of publication.
Former president of the Dooda, Yashwanthrao Jadhav, said the agitation would continue until Mallikarjun was removed from the state Cabinet. Other leaders, including S.M. Veeresh Hanagawadi and Shantaraj Patil, also addressed the gathering.
The protest was attended by Dhananjay Kadlebal, Airani Annappa, Jeevan Murthy, Arakere Hanumanthappa, Devaramane Shivakumar, Raju Rokhade, Halladakeri Girish, Santosh Gudimane, Hindasagatta Lingaraj, K.N. Halli Mahantesh, Nandigavi Ramesh, Auto Hanumanthappa, Ashwini Krishna, Roopa Katwe, Sakshi Sinde, Kenchanahalli Mahantesh, Aditya Mehrwade, Ravi Raykar, Bharat Shetty, Veeresh Ajjannanavar, Ganesh, Hanumanth, Benni Siddappa, Malatesh Bhandari and Nagaraj Bhandari, among others.
After the protest, BJP leaders submitted a complaint against the minister at the city police station. The report did not specify whether a case had been registered, the number of injured police personnel or the nature of the injuries beyond burns. It also did not include a response from Minister Mallikarjun or the Congress government to the allegations.
