Inside The Clashes Between 2 MLA Groups In Ballari That Left 1 Dead: FIR Registered Against 11

Ballari: A minor dispute over banners to mark Valmiki Jayanti on January 3, flared up into a violent clash between workers of mining baron and MLA Gali Janardhana Reddy and Congress MLA Nara Bharath Reddy on Thursday in Karnataka's Ballari district, culmination in the death of a party worker. 

Janardhana Reddy is an MLA from the Gangawati Assembly constituency. He was associated with the Kalyana Rajya Pragathi Paksha, but he later merged his party with the BJP in 2024.

What Led To The Violent Clash

Police said that Congress workers attempted to install the banners outside the residence of Janardhana Reddy, which was was opposed by his supporters, leading to a confrontation between the two groups, which later escalated into stone-pelting. The police resorted to lathi charge to disperse the crowd. However, the clashes continued.

After learning about the incident, senior BJP leader B Sriramulu reportedly rushed to the spot. From the Congress' side, Satish Reddy, who was close to Bharath Reddy, also arrived at the scene. Amid the violence, reports claim that some party workers allegedly opened fire. The police also fired some rounds in the air to bring the situation under control, in which some people were injured. Rajashekar, who was a Congress supporter, sustained a bullet injury in the ensuing clashes and later succumbed to his injuries.

According to Ballari SP Ranjith Bhandaru, the police did not fire the shot that killed Rajashekhar. “The bullet that hit Rajashekhar's body did not belong to the police department. It is obvious from the surface that it was a private weapon. There should be an investigation, then the truth will be known,” he said.

"So far, it appears that the bullet was fired from a private weapon. A total of four cases have been filed, one murder case, one attempt to murder, one SC-ST case and one suo motto case filed by the police against all the people involved in the riot. A sufficient number of personnel have been deployed. Now, the situation is under control and peaceful. No arrests have been made till now," the SP said speaking to reporters.

Allegations From Both Sides 

According to reports, Congress MLA Bharath Reddy claimed that the clash was provoked by supporters of Janardhana Reddy and demanded his immediate arrest. He further claimed that earlier, there were attempts to obstruct Valmiki Jayanti celebrations which led to the violence.

Janardhana Reddy, however, claimed that Bharath Reddy had orchestrated the attack, and his associate Satish Reddy had even planned to assassinate him. He said that Bharath Reddy used the pretext of installing the Valmiki statue only to create unrest in the area, reports indicate.

In response to the incident, BJP leader B. Sriramulu said, “26-year-old Rajasekhar Reddy, regardless of which party he belongs to, died in the firing that took place yesterday. I pray to God on behalf of my party. A banner has been erected on the road leading to Janardhan Reddy's house. Some people had come to fight with Janardhan Reddy. Yesterday, there was a sudden attack. He was also shot at.”

Sriramulu claimed that shots were also fired at the direction of Janardhan Reddy. “Who permitted to erect a banner on the road leading to an MLA's house and shoot at the MLA, a .76 mm bullet was fired,” he said.

The BJP leader also claimed that Bharat Reddy had threatened to “burn Ballari” and had even brought petrol bombs. 

“If you look at what MLA Bharath Reddy says, everything seems to have been fixed in advance. Yesterday, I noticed MLA Bharat Reddy talking to the media. I will burn Ballari; they had brought petrol bombs ready...There was no need to mention the name of Maharishi Valmiki in the middle,” Sriramulu said.

What Deceased Rajashekhar's Mother Said

The mother of Congress leader Rajashekhar who died in the clashes on Thursday said that he rushed to the spot only after her son's friend informed her about the incident.

“We are helpless. What can we even do? My son's fried came running to me, said that my son has been injured in a clash. After I reached the spot, I realised that my son is dead,” the mother of four children, two girlchidren and two sons, said.

When the reporter questioned if his son was a supporter of the Congress party, she shared, “My husband was in good terms with BJP.”

Meanwhile, the postmortem examination of Rajasekhar has been completed at the Ballari BIMS Hospital. Ballari IGP Vartika Katiyar arrived at the hospital after the procedure.

FIR Filed Against 11 People

An FIR has been filed at the Brucepet Police station in Bellary against 11 individuals, including BJP MLA Janaradhan Reddy, former minister and BJP leaders Ballari Sreeramulu, Dammura Shekar, Alikhan and Somashekar Reddy, over the violent clashes. IGP Vartika Katiyar held discussions with senior police officials reviewing the case details and the ongoing investigation. Security has been tightened in and around the hospital premises, as authorities continue to monitor the situation closely.

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