Ex-CM Siddaramaiah’s statue illegally installed overnight in Kalaburagi removed by city administration
Kalaburagi: A nine-foot statue of former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, installed overnight without permission at High Court Circle in Kalaburagi, was removed by the Kalaburagi City Corporation on Thursday amid tight police security.
According to officials, a group of Siddaramaiah supporters installed the statue without obtaining permission from the district administration or the city corporation. Following the installation, authorities cleared the statue, stating that the required permission had not been obtained.
The statue was installed on the route taken by Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar during his visit to Kalaburagi and his onward journey to the Ganagapura temple, adding a political dimension to the development.
Sources said around eight to 10 people, including members of the Kuruba community from which Siddaramaiah hails, were involved in installing the statue. The group had reportedly been demanding that the High Court Circle be named after Siddaramaiah. Despite the authorities not approving the proposal, the group went ahead and installed the statue.
The same group had reportedly installed a Siddaramaiah statue at the location around three years ago. Authorities had removed it at that time as well.
The latest incident occurred during Shivakumar’s visit to Kalaburagi, prompting discussions within political circles over the timing of the installation. There was speculation that the move could put pressure on the government to consider regularising the statue or renaming the circle. However, officials removed the structure, maintaining that it had been installed without the necessary permission.
The development is expected to trigger further political discussion in Karnataka, particularly over the relationship between Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah. There have been periodic discussions within the ruling Congress over the political dynamics between the two leaders, though neither has publicly commented on the latest statue controversy.
Police remained deployed at the spot as the authorities removed the statue to prevent any law-and-order issues.