Ballari: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has neither slapped the Ballari City Municipal Corporation Commissioner nor police personnel deployed for his security during his visit to the city on January 16, claims the police department.
According to the video footage recorded by the police department, the CM’s hand did not land on anyone in the melee when he was going to inaugurate Valmiki Bhavan.
This video footage assumes significance after the filing of a complaint by a Bengaluru-based advocate Mr Amruthesh with Vidhana Soudha police on Saturday, seeking action against CM Siddaramaiah for allegedly slapping a government officer ‘in full public view.’
According to the police department’s video footage, Corporation Commissioner P.G. Ramesh was jostled by the crowd and was about to trip. Seeing this, the Chief Minister was visibly furious and lost his cool.
A this juncture, he raised his hand and it appears like he is slapping his personal security guard wearing a navy blue safari suit for not controlling the crowd, However, police video footage reportedly shows that the CM’s personal security guards were beyond the reach of his hand.
Though the CM’s hand did not land on anyone in the melee according to the police footage, it is clear that he lost his cool and intended to slap his security guards for the security lapse since a large number of people had gathered to present him bouquets and garland him.
The issue had become a matter of hot discussion after the electronic media reported that the Chief Minister allegedly slapped municipal commissioner Ramesh. However, both Mr. Ramesh and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah denied the incident.
On the same day, at his press conference, Mr Siddaramaiah made a reference to the incident being telecast on TV and sought to know, “Whom did I slap?”
He said, “Don’t propagate misinformation and malign my name. I have not hit or slapped anybody and what is being telecast is baseless and far from truth,” he said. On his part, the Palike Commissioner too released a video footage clarifying that the CM did not even touch him.
