Senior Karnataka ministers have strongly refuted allegations made by Union Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) leader H D Kumaraswamy regarding the postmortem of a Congress worker killed in political violence in Ballari. The state's Home Minister G Parameshwara and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Tuesday denied Kumaraswamy's claim that two postmortems were conducted to implicate BJP MLA Janardhan Reddy.
The Core Allegation and Swift Denial
The controversy stems from a violent clash on January 1, 2026, outside the residence of BJP MLA Janardhan Reddy in Ballari. The conflict erupted between BJP and Congress workers over the installation of a banner ahead of a scheduled event for a Valmiki statue. During the altercation, Congress worker Rajashekar Reddy was killed.
On Monday, January 5, Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy held a press conference in Bengaluru where he alleged that authorities had conducted a second, clandestine postmortem on the deceased to strengthen a complaint accusing the BJP MLA of firing the fatal shot. He claimed this was a tactic to falsely implicate Janardhan Reddy.
Ministers Counter with Official Inquiry
Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara directly challenged Kumaraswamy's claim. "Has the leader seen two postmortems being conducted? The doctor who conducted the postmortem has clarified. Whom should we believe?" Parameshwara questioned, urging reliance on official medical testimony.
Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who visited Ballari on Tuesday, echoed the denial and accused Kumaraswamy of misleading the public. "I don't know who did the research and gave him this information," Shivakumar stated. He added that his inquiry with the district health officer confirmed that only one application was received for the postmortem.
Kumaraswamy Doubles Down and Demands Brain Mapping
Despite the categorical denials, the Union Minister stood by his allegations. He escalated the situation by demanding that the superintendent of the Ballari Institute of Medical Sciences (BIMS) undergo brain mapping to "bring out the truth."
In a post on social media platform X, Kumaraswamy wrote, "If my allegation of a double postmortem was not true, then immediately conduct brain-mapping of BIMS superintendent. Then your postmortem magic will be exposed." He further questioned why a second doctor was present during the autopsy and claimed knowledge of a quarrel between the two doctors involved.
Shivakumar offered a different narrative for the violence, suggesting it was triggered when BJP MLA Janardhan Reddy and his supporters tore down the banner for the Valmiki event. He alleged that Kumaraswamy's postmortem claim was a ploy to conceal this act. The Deputy CM also cited a Congress fact-finding committee which reported that the violence resulted from "jealousy caused by the response to the construction of the Valmiki statue."
The political fallout from the January 1 clash continues to intensify, with the state government indicating a potential CID probe into the incident. The war of words between the ruling Congress and opposition BJP-JD(S) figures highlights the heightened political tensions in Karnataka.
