BENGALURU/NEW DELHI: A turf war between Karnataka’s top political bosses spilled over into a dramatic public spat in Delhi on Friday, as aides of chief minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar clashed inside Karnataka Bhavan, prompting formal complaints and calls for an inquiry.
According to multiple sources, the incident involved C Mohan Kumar, special duty officer (SDO) to the CM, and H Anjaneya, SDO to the deputy CM.
The confrontation reportedly heated up when Mohan Kumar shouted at Anjaneya, threatening to hit him.
This was allegedly said in front of other govt staff.
Anjaneya filed a formal complaint with the additional resident commissioner (ARC) and Karnataka chief secretary Shalini Rajneesh, seeking action against Mohan Kumar for issuing threats.
In his letter, Anjaneya claimed that if he were to meet any “accident”, then Mohan Kumar would be responsible. The officer went on to claim that Kumar has a history of violence with another person also being hit by him.
"I was beaten with a shoe and it has hurt my honour and dignity. Conduct a criminal trial against him (Kumar) and give me justice," Anjanaya said in his complaint.
“I seek a departmental inquiry against Kumar,” he said in his letter.
What started as a verbal dispute between the two aides escalated after women employees at Karnataka Bhavan allegedly accused the DCM’s aide of using unparliamentary language and abusive terms in their presence earlier that day.
CMO officials claim the situation worsened when Mohan Kumar confronted Anjaneya over his remarks about the women staff.
This confrontation soon degenerated into a full-blown verbal brawl between the two SDOs.
Later in the evening, the aggrieved women staff reportedly met Siddaramaiah and expressed concern over the behaviour of the DCM’s officer. Following the meeting, the chief minister directed the ARC to examine the complaint and initiate an inquiry, if necessary.