Kuruba community protests removal of Siddaramaiah statue in Kalaburagi

Members of the Kuruba community and supporters of former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah staged a protest rally in Kalaburagi on Tuesday against the removal of a statue installed in his honour near the High Court on Afzalpur Ring Road.

The statue was put up by unidentified persons on the night of September 16 and was removed by Kalaburagi City Corporation officials the following day, during a visit to the city by Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar.

Community leaders demanded that the statue be reinstalled and that officials who directed its removal be suspended. They had set September 23 as the deadline for reinstallation and announced the protest after the demand was not met.

Protesters from across Kalaburagi district gathered near the Sangolli Rayanna statue close to the city bus stand in the market area. Carrying yellow flags and placards in support of Mr. Siddaramaiah, they marched towards Jagat Circle and then to the Deputy Commissioner's office, raising slogans against the city corporation authorities. The procession featured Dollu Kunitha and Thamate performances.

The agitators said Mr. Siddaramaiah, an AHINDA leader, introduced several welfare programmes during his tenure as Chief Minister aimed at the uplift of socially and economically disadvantaged sections. They said he had consistently championed the cause of backward communities, Dalits, minorities and other marginalised groups through his political career, and highlighted his emphasis on welfare-oriented governance and social justice.

The proposed statue was intended to honour his contribution to these sections, the protesters said, maintaining that it should be restored and that responsibility should be fixed on the officials who ordered its removal.

A minor altercation was reported outside the Deputy Commissioner's office after police personnel closed the main gate of the Mini Vidhana Soudha, preventing the protesters from entering the premises.