A video of Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy reportedly calling for the merciless killing of someone, has gone viral on social media platforms. In the video, Kumaraswamy is heard saying, “He (JDS worker Prakash) was a good man. I don’t know who killed him in this way. Kill the miscreant mercilessly in a shootout. There would be no problem.”
The person on the other side of the phone is believed to be a senior police officer.
#WATCH Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy caught on cam telling someone on the phone ‘He(murdered JDS leader Prakash) was a good man, I don’t know why did they murder him. Kill them (assailants) mercilessly in a shootout, no problem. (24.12.18) pic.twitter.com/j42dqiRs0a
— ANI (@ANI) December 25, 2018
The video evoked angry reactions from social media users as they began to criticise and ridicule Kumaraswamy.
If the murdered person wasn’t from his party.. He might have showed curtsey on murders and act like good CM. He is fake masked CM.. And most corrupted one..
— channayya nayaka (@channayya_nayak) December 25, 2018
Don? New don? If he can order killing on phone then who stops him calling for the heads of others? Potential rivals?
— Hardtalk ?? (@coughhard) December 25, 2018
377 farmers died but CM didn’t care
Humans were found treated as bonded labour’s in JDS strong hold but CM remains silent.
& when a JDS Karyakartha was murdered @hd_kumaraswamy orders cops to immediately shoot culprits shows all that matters to him is his party & nothing else.
— BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) December 25, 2018
Just replace H. D. Kumaraswamy with Yogi Adityanath in this news and India will become the most intolerant country, few celebrities will feel unsafe living here, Democracy will be under threat. https://t.co/EPHMfwgACn
— Krishna (@Atheist_Krishna) December 25, 2018
However, Kumaraswamy later explained that he had not ordered the killing of anyone but the footage shown in the video was his emotional reaction.
“It was not my order, I was emotional at that moment. They (the killers) are the reason for two murders and they were in jail. They came out on bail two days ago and killed another person…this is how they are misusing bail,” Kumaraswamy was quoted by NDTV.
JDS worker Prakash was hacked to death on Monday by four motorcycle-borne people, who reportedly chased his car down in Mandya district before killing him using machetes. Mandya in south Karnataka is a JDS stronghold.