Ballari, January 7, 2026 – In a significant administrative reshuffle, the Karnataka government on Wednesday transferred the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of the Ballari range and appointed a new Superintendent of Police (SP) for the district, days after violent clashes between supporters of rival MLAs left a Congress worker dead and sparked a political firestorm.
The moves come nearly a week after the January 1 flare-up in Ballari city, triggered by a dispute over the installation of a banner commemorating the Valmiki statue unveiling. Supporters of Congress MLA Nara Bharath Reddy allegedly placed the banner in front of the residence of BJP MLA G. Janardhan Reddy from nearby Gangavati, prompting the BJP leader to reportedly tear it down. What began as a heated exchange quickly escalated into stone-pelting between the two camps, with police intervening using canes and tear gas to disperse the crowds. Gunfire erupted during the melee, with forensic teams later recovering bullet fragments near Janardhan Reddy's house and allegations of over 50 rounds being fired. A total of 26 individuals were arrested in connection with the violence.
The sole fatality was Rajasekhar Reddy, a local Congress party worker, who succumbed to gunshot wounds. Investigations confirmed the bullet was not from a police-issued weapon, fueling speculation over its origin—possibly linked to private security personnel. The Congress party announced ₹25 lakh in compensation to the victim's family, while MLA Bharath Reddy briefed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on the incident, blaming the BJP MLA's provocative actions for igniting the unrest.
Political tempers remain frayed. Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and district in-charge Minister B.Z. Zameer Ahmed Khan convened an emergency meeting, attributing the violence to Janardhan Reddy's banner-tearing and accusing the BJP of stoking communal tensions. The opposition BJP, however, has decried the government's response as biased, with former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy demanding a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe to "uncover the truth" and shield the real culprits. BJP spokesperson Ravi Joshi labeled Ballari a "republic" under Bharath Reddy's influence, while the MLA himself sought Z-category security amid threats. Home Minister G. Parameshwara emphasized that the probe would be thorough, but no arrests of the MLAs have been made so far.
The initial fallout saw Ballari SP Pavan Nejjur— who had assumed charge on the very day of the clashes—suspended within hours for allegedly failing to anticipate the unrest and brief superiors adequately. Now, the government has widened the net. DIG Vartika Katiyar, overseeing the Ballari range, has been transferred to the Directorate of Civil Rights Enforcement without an official reason cited in the notification from the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR). She has been replaced by Dr. P.S. Harsha, an IPS officer awaiting posting, elevated to Inspector General of Police (IGP) rank for the range.
In the SP vacancy, 2013-batch IPS officer Suman D. Pennekar—currently Deputy Commissioner of Police (Intelligence) in Bengaluru—has been appointed as the new Ballari district SP. The reshuffle aims to "restore order and ensure impartial policing," sources in the Home Department indicated, though BJP leaders dismissed it as a "cosmetic change" to deflect blame from the ruling Congress.
As investigations continue, with forensic reports pending full analysis, the incident underscores simmering rivalries in the iron-ore rich Bellary region, long a hotspot for political and caste-based frictions. Local activists have called for de-escalation measures, including a ban on provocative banners during sensitive periods, to prevent further bloodshed. The government has urged calm, promising swift justice, but with assembly polls on the horizon, the clashes threaten to deepen Karnataka's partisan divide.
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