Bengaluru, 4 Jan

BJP MLA G Janardhan Reddy has written separate letters to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, demanding immediate Z-category security for him, alleging there was a "pre-planned assassination attempt" on him in Ballari.

He was referring to 1 January clashes that erupted over installation of a banner for unveiling of Valmiki statue. Janardhan claimed that there was "complete breakdown of law and order". Janardhan, among others, has been booked with regard to the clashes.

In his letter to Siddaramaiah on Saturday, Reddy claimed that the attack on his Ballari residence was "not an ordinary political clash, but a pre-planned and systematic assassination attempt allegedly carried out by Ballari Congress MLA Nara Bharath Reddy and his associates".

The former minister squarely blamed the local police for inaction and negligence, saying the threat to his life had reached the "highest possible level".

“Bharath’s close aide Sathish Reddy, along with 40-50 armed men, trespassed into my premises carrying bottles, stones, clubs and deadly weapons, sat inside the compound and openly issued threats, while police remained mute spectators,” he alleged.

He further claimed that at around 9pm, Bharat himself arrived near the SP Circle with hundreds of supporters armed with clubs, stones and petrol bombs, triggering a “terror-style attack”.

Reddy demanded 'Z' category or equivalent high-level police security for him and his family with immediate effect. 

In a separate representation to Shah, Reddy requested security through central forces, alleging that the Congress-led State government had failed in providing security.