A dispute over banners in Ballari turned violent, resulting in a clash between groups linked to mining baron Gali Janardhana Reddy and Congress MLA Nara Bharath Reddy. The incident led to the death of a Congress worker named Rajashekar. The clash began when Congress workers tried to install banners for Valmiki Jayanti, which was objected to by Janardhana Reddy’s supporters.
Former minister B. Sriramulu and Satish Reddy, an associate of Congress MLA Bharath Reddy, arrived at the scene following the clash. Despite police intervention with a lathi charge, the violence continued, and private gunmen reportedly fired shots. Rajashekar was fatally injured during the chaos, with the shooter remaining unidentified. Congress MLA Bharath Reddy accused Janardhana Reddy’s supporters of instigating the clash and demanded their arrest.
Janardhana Reddy alleged that the clash was orchestrated by Congress MLA Nara Bharath Reddy and his father, Suryanarayana Reddy. He claimed that the attack was planned to assassinate him, using the banner dispute as a pretext. Janardhana Reddy also accused Bharath Reddy of inciting unrest and attempting to dominate the area through violence. Police are on high alert in Ballari following the incident.
