HDK’s ‘shoot mercilessly’ order caught on camera

Bengaluru, December 25

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Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy embroiled in a controversy after a purported video showing him ordering a police official to “shoot mercilessly” those who killed a JD(S) worker in Mandya went viral.

With the CM drawing flak over his response, he said “it was an emotional outburst” and he did not mean it. The Opposition BJP lashed out at Kumaraswamy over the issue and termed it “irresponsible and nonsense”. JD(S) worker H Prakash (50) was allegedly hacked to death by four men in Maddur town of Mandya district on Monday evening, the police said. The assailants stopped Prakash’s car when he was going home and hacked him to death with machetes. Prakash was a former Zilla Panchayat member.

Following the killing of his party man, Kumaraswamy purportedly instructed the official over the phone, which was caught on camera and went viral. In the video, the CM is heard saying that there were three murders in the past before he came to Bengaluru and he was disappointed with the police.

“I don’t know how you will handle it (the case)… because it was your responsibility. I am actually disappointed because it (the murder) brought a bad name. He (who was murdered) was a good person. There is no problem if you shoot such people mercilessly,” he said alluding to the alleged killers. “I am least bothered (about the consequences),” the CM was further heard saying.

As he faced criticism, Kumaraswamy told reporters in Vijayapura that he acted in a fit of rage as he knew the victim. “It is beyond my imagination that such a person can ever be killed. My words were only an emotional outburst, which I did not mean,” he said. Meanwhile, Kumaraswamy’s office also issued a statement saying the comments were an “emotional reaction” to the incident and not orders. — PTI