Siddaramaiah Statue Installed Overnight in Kalaburagi, Removed by Officials

alaburagi: A nine foot statue of former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was installed overnight near High Court Cross in Kalaburagi, ahead of Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar’s visit to the city. The statue was removed by Kalaburagi City Corporation officials on Thursday after it was found to have been installed without the required permission, according to local reports.

A group of around seven to eight people reportedly brought the statue to the location late on Wednesday and installed it in a public area. The spot had earlier been associated with the name Siddaramaiah Circle, with reports stating that the earlier naming effort had also been made without official permission.

The development took place as Shivakumar was in Kalaburagi for the Kalyana Karnataka Utsava celebrations. He was also scheduled to travel towards Afzalpur along the same route where the statue had been installed.

The statue, designed in Siddaramaiah’s likeness, was reportedly around nine feet tall and had a golden finish. Officials removed it with police security after becoming aware of its installation.

The timing of the installation drew attention because of the ongoing political discussion surrounding the leadership of the Karnataka Congress government. Siddaramaiah previously served as Chief Minister, while Shivakumar served as his Deputy Chief Minister before becoming Chief Minister.

The incident has also led to speculation about the intention behind the installation. However, there has been no confirmed statement establishing that the statue was intended as a political message to Shivakumar.

Authorities have maintained that the statue was removed because it had been installed without the necessary permission. The incident has once again raised questions over the procedure required for installing statues or creating public landmarks in the city.