Ramanagara, Aug 5 — Fans and supporters of jailed Kannada actor Darshan disrupted Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar's address at the Sri Chamundeshwari Devi Karaga Mahotsava in Ramanagara by repeatedly raising "D-Boss" slogans, seeking his intervention in the actor's case. As the sloganeering continued, Shivakumar appealed for calm, saying he understood their emotions but stressed that everything had to be done within the framework of law as the matter was before the court.
The dramatic exchange, during which the Chief Minister briefly lost his cool before resuming his speech, went viral on social media on Wednesday.
Shivakumar inaugurated the famous Sri Chamundeshwari Devi Karaga Mahotsava in Ramanagara, Bengaluru South district, on Tuesday night, and was addressing the gathering in the presence of Minister H.C. Balakrishna, MLAs Iqbal Hussain, Belur Gopalakrishna and Uday Kadlur, MLCs S. Ravi and Ramojigowda, former MLAs Raju and Ashwath, among others.
As the Chief Minister began his speech, a section of Darshan's fans repeatedly chanted "D-Boss" slogans demanding that the government help secure relief for the actor, who is lodged in jail in connection with the sensational fan murder case.
Initially responding calmly, Shivakumar said, "I understand your feelings. I understand love for D-Boss. You need to be patient."
Despite his appeal, the slogans continued. The Chief Minister then urged the crowd to stop chanting and said, "I got to know everything", indicating that he had understood their concerns.
When the sloganeering persisted, Shivakumar became visibly upset and asked, "It is not good to chant D-Boss slogans like this. Do you want this programme to be held or not?"
He again appealed to the gathering, saying, "I understand your feelings. I cannot make public statements. Please be quiet."
However, the supporters continued raising slogans, prompting Shivakumar to lose his patience.
"Once you have told me, I have understood. You are spoiling everything by doing this. Be quiet," he said. As the chants continued, an irritated Shivakumar remarked, "You don't understand anything. Let them call D-Boss himself," before returning to his chair.
Ramanagara MLA Iqbal Hussain then took the microphone and urged the crowd to maintain decorum. He said disrupting the Chief Minister's speech at a religious event was inappropriate and appealed to the gathering to uphold the dignity of the programme.
After calm was restored, Shivakumar resumed his address and reiterated that Darshan's case was sub judice and could not be influenced by the government.
"This is a sacred event. I respect your love and fandom. Don't try to pressurise me. This is a court matter and, even as the Chief Minister, I cannot do anything. If I respond to your demands, people will say D.K. Shivakumar is succumbing to pressure," he said.
He urged Darshan's supporters to place their faith in God rather than seek political intervention.
"Like how I prayed to God, you also pray, and everything good will happen. I am your servant. Keep this in mind. I am the son of Ramanagara, and you should know how to support this son of the region. If you want anything good to happen, you must remain quiet," he said.
Referring to the legal process, the Chief Minister added, "We have to work within the framework of law. Attempts may fail, but prayers will not fail. You have seen how things turned out for me. Likewise, you also pray to God, and everything good will happen."
Videos of the incident were widely shared on social media, drawing significant public attention.