Siddaramaiah's ‘Almost' Slapgate Moment: What Happened On Stage In Belagavi
Siddaramaiah was seen raising his hand to reprimand a senior police officer at a Congress event in Belagavi. This action has drawn sharp criticism from all quarters
Siddaramaiah was seen raising his hand to reprimand a senior police officer at a Congress event in Belagavi. This action has drawn sharp criticism from all quarters. News18 has exclusive details on what transpired on stage.
The stage was set for Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to address a gathering in Belagavi as part of the Congress's protest against the Centre's 'unchecked" price hikes, when a group of people from the audience began shouting slogans.
While Siddaramaiah took on the BJP workers who had entered the event and were shouting slogans against him, what transpired next led to the Chief Minister's anger, where he was seen lifting his hand at police officer Narayan Barmani, who is serving as the Additional Superintendent of Police, Belagavi.
Eight minutes into his speech, a visibly irritated Siddaramaiah spotted a group of BJP workers in the audience shouting anti-Siddaramaiah slogans.
'Who are these people?" questioned Siddaramaiah as he turned and asked his colleagues on the stage. A leader urged the police to take charge of the situation and remove the protesters, but Siddaramaiah did not stop there.
The Chief Minister then called out to the policemen on the ground. 'Hey, you police, come here," said Siddaramaiah in a rude tone, asking the police to come towards him.
Despite advice from the state in-charge, Randeep Singh Surjewala, who identified the protesters as being from the BJP and advised Siddaramaiah to say that 'they will not be scared by this", the Karnataka Chief Minister continued to reprimand the police for the ruckus. While his party colleagues and ministers rushed to mute his mic, the Chief Minister continued his angry tirade against the police and was suddenly seen raising his hand at the officer.
'Who is the SP here?" the CM asked, questioning what he was doing to control the disturbance.
A senior officer present at the location told News18 what exactly transpired. When the crowd became unruly and the police were trying to manage them, the CM called out to the senior officer who was standing next to the stage — it was Barmani.
It is learnt from reliable police sources that senior officers were assigned different areas of the event to manage.
'Security of the delegates, stage, crowds, frisking — there were different responsibilities that were allocated. Barmani was in charge of the stage and was responsible for controlling what was happening on stage," said the officer, who sought anonymity.
'Since Barmani was in charge of the stage, he was close to it, and that's when the CM spotted him and called him up," revealed the officer.
When the officer went on stage, an angry Siddaramaiah was seen raising his hand as if to hit the officer, but the CM refrained. Barmani did not say anything as he saw the Chief Minister was angry and later left the stage.
'There was no fault of Barmani," said an official. Barmani, when contacted, refused to comment on the incident.
Soon after this, efforts were made by the Congress leaders to control the crowds by asking people to shout 'Jai Congress' and 'Jai Siddaramaiah', but that did not stop the curious crowd from watching the protesters, who continued their sloganeering while being escorted out of the venue.
A seething Siddaramaiah continued his speech and said, 'The BJP and the RSS do such things each time to disturb the peace in society. They try to ignite fire in society. Their job is to split society into two. We will not be shaken by such moves from the BJP."
'We have the power to publicly counter them," said a combative Siddaramaiah, adding that the Congress would stand tall, and every effort made by the BJP, including such 'malicious acts" of disturbing peace and an event, was being condemned.
'Arrogance of power," tweeted the JD(S), an ally of the BJP in Karnataka. The party's post on X went on to say —'Raising your hand to hit the District Superintendent of Police does not bode well for your position or dignity. As the Chief Minister, you, like a street rowdy, tried to hit the SP by using a single word on a public platform, which is an unforgivable crime. Your term of office is only five years, but a government officer serves till the age of 60. Power is not permanent for anyone. Correct your misconduct," it said.
Karnataka BJP president B Y Vijayendra said a group of 'patriotic women' were expressing their protest against Siddaramaiah, who had sympathised with Pakistan and spoken in a way that could cause a rift in India.
Vijayendra called Siddaramaiah's act one of a 'goon" who has damaged the dignity of the Chief Minister's office.
He also accused him of being intoxicated by power and losing control of his conduct, highlighting previous incidents — such as Siddaramaiah's public insult of a District Collector and his inappropriate behaviour towards a woman in his constituency — as signs of his declining decorum. Vijayendra contended that the office of Chief Minister demands maturity, but instead, Siddaramaiah was displaying arrogance and frustration, both towards the public and the police.
In a long post, Vijayendra also said that the Chief Minister's actions were tarnishing the long-standing dignity of Karnataka's political legacy, which had traditionally been known for its civility and is now being 'smeared with black ink."
According to Vijayendra, Siddaramaiah's behaviour undermines the state's patriotism, especially evident in the recent Belagavi incident.
Vijayendra went on to demand an apology from Siddaramaiah for his disrespect towards a Superintendent of Police, calling his actions a direct insult to the police department and to the people of Karnataka.
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tags :
belagavi Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah
Location :
Karnataka, India, India
First Published:
April 28, 2025, 19:52 IST
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