Man carrying gun gets close to Siddaramaiah at rally, police clarify | Watch

A man carrying a gun in a holster approached Chief Minister Siddaramaiah during a campaign rally in Karnataka and garlanded the Congress leaders standing next to him. This was caught on camera and the video of it is doing rounds on the internet.

As the man climbed down from the vehicle, Siddaramaiah and the others noticed the weapon. The man was identified as Riyaz.

Police said that Riyaz had been carrying the gun since surviving a violent assault several years ago, and he had been granted an exemption from surrendering his weapon.

A senior police official said, "The incident occurred close to Wilson Garden. As for the weapon, it is licensed, carried by Riyaz for self-defence after previous attacks. An inquiry is ongoing."

After the video of the incident went viral, Vijayendra Yediyurappa - the son of former chief minister and BJP leader BS Yediyurappa, said on X, "While the election code of conduct is in force, a man with a gun garlanded the Chief Minister and Congress candidates during the roadshow of the party is an alarming development. It is a mystery why the police, who take possession of weapons from those who obtain gun licenses for self-defense and keep them with them till the end of the election process, did not seize the gun from this person. Who is this person?

He further said, "His background needs to be investigated. The incident shows the Congress is going to hold elections with such people... Ever since the Congress came to power, the mischief of vandals has been recurring. The Election Commission has to take serious action on this incident today. Along with this, it should keep an eagle eye on the activities of anti-social forces and take all precautionary measures for peaceful polling."

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