Bengaluru: An inebriated BBMP worker hurled a suspicious packet at Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, triggering a panic during an event at Ravindra Kalakshetra on Sunday.
Mr Siddaramaiah, who was addressing the gathering during the golden jubilee celebrations of Udayabanu Kalasangha, stopped midway when the man questioned, “First, you tell us what have you done for our community?”
Unperturbed, the CM asked him, “Who are you? Which community do you belong to?”
Even before anyone could react, the drunk man, seated in the balcony of the auditorium, shouted ‘bomb, bomb’ and threw a red-coloured bag at the stage.
The red-coloured bag fell on the stage, where Union Minister Ananth Kumar and former Chief Justice M.N. Venkatachalaiah too were seated. The security personnel rushed to the stage and picked up the bag, even as policemen led the man away from the auditorium.
Later, DCP (Central) Sandeep Patil said that the packet contained chocolate wrappers. He said, “According to preliminary investigation, the man has been identified as B.S. Prasad and he works with the forest division of the BBMP. We are collecting information about him from the BBMP and his family.”
Mr Patil said that Prasad had peculiar answers to police questions. “He said he had come to the event as wanted to become an MP!”
The chief minister, who did not lose his cool at the incident, said that such incidents are common in a democracy and he has seen many such incidents in his political life. “I have no idea which caste he belongs to. We are working towards all castes that are depressed and oppressed,” Mr Siddaramaiah said, smiling to the cameras.
The chief minister continued to say that someone might have provoked Prasad, as he did not have any reason to act the way he did. When reporters whether it was a security breach, Mr Siddaramaiah said, “When so many people are at a public event, how can you differentiate between genuine spectators and troublemakers? Such things are common in a democracy or else how can it be a democracy?” The SJ Park police later arrested Prasad and are questioning him.
