Accused Shivamurthy arrested

Mysore/Mysuru: Saraswathipuram Police have arrested a man for pelting stones at the house of Chief Minister Siddharamaiah at T.K. Layout in city resulting in the window panes of the house getting shattered.

The incident took place yesterday morning and the accused is identified as 48-year-old Shivamurthy of Hootagalli in the taluk. Shivamurthy also pelted stones on Police personnel, who came to nab him, injuring them and is now cooling his heels in jail.

Yesterday between 7.45 am and 8 am, Shivamurthy, who came on a bike with jelly stones in the bike pouch, threw the stones on the house of the CM from a distance breaking the window panes. Policemen on security duty at the CM’s house, on hearing the glass panes getting shattered, tried to catch Shivamurthy, who escaped on his bike.

On receiving information, Saraswathipuram Sub-Inspector Mahendra, Head Constables Basavaraj Urs and Mohan Kumar and Constable Sudeep began to chase Shivamurthy during which Shivamurthy pelted stones on them too near Hootagalli injuring Constable Sudeep.

But the Cops, who finally nabbed him, seized the bike and brought him to the Police Station for enquiry. During interrogation, Shivamurthy is said to have told the Police that he had gone to the CM’s house on Saturday and stood in the line to urge the CM to waive off traffic violation fines just as waiver of farmers loans and added that the CM who went inside the house did not come out even after 4 pm following which he went home.

He also stated that he had tried to meet the CM during the launch of pre-poll guarantees at Maharaja’s College Grounds in city but in vain. “I wanted the CM to come in search of me, hence I pelted stones on his house,” Shivamurthy added.

While Saraswathipuram Police have registered a case against Shivamurthy for throwing stones at CM’s house, Vijayanagar Police have registered a case for pelting stones on Police. Shivamurthy was produced before a Magistrate, who remanded him to judicial custody.

He had damaged voting machine during Assembly polls

Accused Shivamurthy had damaged a Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machine and had tried to damage the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) at a Polling Booth in Hootagalli during the last Assembly Polls.

He had expressed his displeasure on the election system during Police interrogation and a case was registered against him.

Shivamurthy, who stays with his mother, wife and 19-year-old son at Hootagalli, was working at a printing press at Agrahara, who closed down following outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic and is unemployed since then. Depressed over social system, he used to express his displeasure now and then, it is learnt.

Though there is 24×7 Police security near the CM’s house, Shivamurthy somehow managed to stand near the barricades installed near the CM’s house and in a fraction of second, pelted stones and damaged the glass panes before fleeing from the spot.

Following the incident, additional Police personnel have been deployed at the house and more CCTV cameras have been installed. The broken glass panes have been replaced.