Karnataka CM orders probe after police stop three Dalit Ministers at Mysuru Dasara

Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Thursday, October 22, ordered an inquiry into an incident in which police personnel stopped three Dalit ministers from proceeding to the Nandidhwaja Pooja at Mysuru Palace on Tuesday.

Shivakumar directed Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh to identify those responsible and submit a report.

“The officials acted high-handedly by restricting the ministers. I intervened immediately to facilitate their entry. Such irresponsibility cannot be tolerated. I have therefore ordered the Chief Secretary to conduct an inquiry and submit a report,” Shivakumar said.

Video footage shows Ministers PM Narendraswamy, KS Basavantappa and Shivaraj Tangadagi being stopped by a police officer as they followed the Chief Minister towards the venue of the ritual. They were allowed to proceed after Shivakumar intervened.

The Opposition BJP and JD(S) criticised the incident, alleging that the Ministers had been disrespected because they belonged to the Dalit community. The BJP also shared the footage on social media.

Muzrai Minister Basavantappa said they had not been informed of any protocol restricting their movement and demanded action against the officials involved.

“We would have known about any such protocol. There was no restriction on the ministers’ movements. I don’t know why we were stopped, despite the officers knowing that we were ministers,” he said.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara tried to downplay the incident and cautioned against giving it a caste angle, saying the police were enforcing security and protocol arrangements during the event.

“Although the Ministers were initially stopped while the Chief Minister moved ahead, he later returned and took them along. The police were performing their duty. There is no need to create an unnecessary controversy over the matter,” he said.

Objecting to the repeated reference to the Ministers as “Dalit Ministers,” Parameshwara asked why they could not simply be referred to as Ministers.

“Should every individual be identified by their caste? Are Ministers belonging to other communities referred to by their caste?” he asked.

Acknowledging that there may have been lapses, he said such mistakes should not be turned into a major controversy.

“I am not saying there were no lapses. Such mistakes can happen. But it is not appropriate to turn minor lapses into a major controversy,” he said.