Kuruba group protests removal of Siddaramaiah statue in Kalaburagi
Members of the Kuruba community and supporters of former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah marched in Kalaburagi demanding the reinstallation of his statue, which officials removed a day after it was installed without authorisation. Protesters also sought action against officials involved in the removal and highlighted Siddaramaiah’s welfare initiatives.
Members of the Kuruba community and supporters of former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah held a protest in Kalaburagi on Tuesday over the removal of a statue dedicated to him. The statue was installed by unidentified people near the High Court on Afzalpur Ring Road on the night of September 16. Officials of the Kalaburagi City Corporation removed it the following day, during Chief Minister D.K.
Shivakumar’s visit to the city. Community leaders demanded that the statue be reinstalled and sought the suspension of officials who directed its removal. They had set September 23 as a deadline for restoration 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. They marched towards Jagat Circle and then proceeded to the Deputy Commissioner’s office, carrying yellow flags and placards supporting Siddaramaiah and raising slogans against the city corporation. The procession included Dollu Kunitha and Thamate performances.
A minor altercation was reported outside the Deputy Commissioner’s office after police closed the main gate of the Mini Vidhana Soudha, preventing the protesters from entering the premises. The protesters described Siddaramaiah as an AHINDA leader and credited him with welfare programmes aimed at socially and economically disadvantaged communities. They said his political work had focused on backward communities, Dalits, minorities and other marginalised groups.
The community leaders argued that the proposed statue was intended to honour those contributions and said responsibility should be fixed on officials who ordered its removal. They maintained that the statue should be restored. The source material does not include a response from the Kalaburagi City Corporation, the Deputy Commissioner’s office or the Karnataka government to the protesters’ demands.
It also does not state whether permission had subsequently been sought for the statue or whether authorities had announced a decision on reinstallation.
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