Karnataka’s Forest Minister caught in row over assault on photographer

Karnataka’s Forest Minister C Chennigappa, who is already facing bribery charges in the illegal mining case along with Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, has landed himself in another row over assaulting a press photographer at Mysore near here.

According to a complaint lodged with the Superintendent of Mysore district police, a photographer belonging to a local Kannada daily was thrashed for shooting pictures of Election Commission officials seizing a total of twelve vehicles, which were being illegally used by the Forest Minister and his supporters to campaign for the JD (S) candidate contesting the by-polls to Chamundeshwari assembly constituency in Mysore near here.

Just when Election Commission officials waylaid the Chennigappa’s convoy on the outskirts of Mysore and began seizing the vehicles, the lensman Kiran Kumar, who happened to be around, began taking photographs of the occasion. He had even managed to capture in his digital camera photographs of Chennigappa pleading with the Election Commission officials to pardon him.

Soon after the Election Commission officials left the place, Chennigappa and his supporters turned to the hapless lensman, snatched his camera, beat him up and pushed him on to a barbed wire fence. With clothes torn and bruises on the body, the photographer pleaded with Chennigappa to return him his camera, but in vain.

Chennigappa and his supporters accused the photographer of being a “Congress agent” and tipping off the poll observers, which had led to the seizure of twelve vehicles belonging to them.

Meanwhile, the assault of the lensman by Chennigappa sparked off high drama in Mysore City with a large group of reporters gathering at the Mysore District Journalists’ Association premises and passing resolution against covering events and press conferences convened by the JD (S).

The assault on the press photographer soon took a political turn with the Congress party rushing to the support of the media representatives and seeking the arrest of Chennigappa.

Chennigappa, who has already been shown on a video CD admitting to accepting a bribe of Rs 35 million from the illegal mine owners, much to the embarrassment of the JD (S) leadership, came forward to tender an unconditional apology to the lensman.

JD (S) supremo and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda too has sought a public apology on behalf of the JD (S) and the Minister for the “unfortunate” incident. “I am pained by the incident”, he said in a statement