BALLARI: Ballari witnessed high political drama and violence on January 1, the night after a clash erupted between two rival groups over the installation of banners, with former minister and MLA Gali Janardhan Reddy making serious allegations of an assassination attempt against him. The incident, which occurred in front of Janardhan Reddy’s residence, led to stone-pelting, firing allegations, injuries to several people and the death of a Congress worker, plunging the city into tension and prompting the imposition of prohibitory orders.
According to Janardhan Reddy, the violence was not a spontaneous clash but a “well-planned conspiracy” to eliminate him. Addressing the media, he directly accused Ballari City Congress MLA Nara Bharat Reddy, his father Nara Suryanarayana Reddy and Bharat Reddy’s close associate Satish Reddy of orchestrating the attack. “Under the pretext of a banner dispute, an attempt was made to finish me. This was a planned attack on my life,” Janardhan Reddy alleged.
He claimed that as soon as he arrived from Gangavathi and got out of his car, gunmen associated with Satish Reddy opened fire near his residence. “They fired four rounds. This was not accidental firing. It was meant to kill me,” he said, even displaying what he claimed was a fired bullet before the media to substantiate his allegations. Janardhan Reddy further alleged that the violence was being fuelled in the name of installing the Valmiki statue and accused his rivals of deliberately trying to set Ballari on fire.
The clash reportedly began when banners related to the January 3 unveiling of the Valmiki statue at Valmiki Circle were being installed across the city. Trouble started when Bharat Reddy’s supporters attempted to erect banners on the road in front of Janardhan Reddy’s house. Janardhan Reddy’s camp objected, leading to a heated argument. Former minister B Sriramulu reportedly intervened initially to prevent escalation, but tensions quickly spiralled out of control.
As the situation worsened, stone-throwing broke out between the two groups. Janardhan Reddy alleged that over a thousand supporters of Bharat Reddy marched from SP Circle towards his residence armed with sticks and stones, damaging the window panes of his house. Police were forced to intervene to disperse the crowd, and in the process, even fired into the air to regain control of the situation.
During the violence, Congress worker Rajashekhar sustained a gunshot injury and later died, triggering tension. Bharat Reddy accused Janardhan Reddy’s supporters of firing and held them responsible for the death. “Congress worker Rajashekhar died after being shot. The attack came from Janardhan Reddy’s side,” Bharat Reddy alleged, demanding his immediate arrest.
Rejecting these claims, Janardhan Reddy said the firing was carried out by gunmen linked to Bharat Reddy’s camp and maintained that he himself was the target. “I rushed home as soon as I heard about the banner dispute. Instead of resolving it, there was an attempt on my life,” he reiterated.
Janardhan Reddy accused Bharat Reddy of indulging in “vote-bank politics” by using the Valmiki statue issue to divert attention from alleged development failures. “Even after two-and-a-half years as MLA, Bharat Reddy has failed to deliver development. There is strong anti-incumbency against him, and that is why he is trying to provoke tensions,” he said. He also made scathing remarks about Bharat Reddy’s father, calling him a “history-sheeter,” and accused the Congress-led state government of encouraging a “rowdy raj” in the district.
The violence led to a tense night in Ballari, with traffic restricted on Siruguppa Road and heavy police deployment across sensitive areas. Prohibitory orders under Section 144 were imposed to prevent further clashes. Senior police officers rushed to the spot, and additional forces were called in to maintain law and order.
