Security Lapse at Siddaramaiah's Campaign Rally as Gun-toting Man Climbs Atop Karnataka CM's Vehicle

In the few second video which is being widely shared on the Internet, the man identified as Riaz Ahmad from Siddapur carrying a pistol in his hip climbs atop the campaign vehicle of Siddaramaiah along with senior Congress leaders whom he garlands one by one.

Bengaluru:In a major security lapse during the election rally attended by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, a man carrying a pistol in his waist garlanded senior Congress leaders and even tried to garland the Chief Minister during his campaign rally on behalf of the candidates from Bangalore Central and South Lok Sabha constituencies.

The video of the incident has gone viral on social media causing concern among the security agencies. Police have detained the gun-toting man said to be a resident of Siddapur.

The video is said to be of a campaign rally attended by CM Siddaramaiah and other senior Congress leaders near Wilson Garden on Monday April 8. In the 25-odd second video, the man identified by police as Riaz Ahmed wearing a white shirt and brown trousers and sunglasses carrying a pistol in his hip climbs atop the campaign vehicle of Siddaramaiah along with other Congress leaders and garlands the leaders including the party's candidates for the Karnataka Lok Sabha constituencies.

The incident has sent the security agencies into a tizzy as Chief Ministers have Z-level security. Therefore, anyone who wants to go to the CM should be checked. However, Riaz garlanded the CM while having a gun with him triggering allegations of security lapse.

As the video went viral, the alert police immediately tracked down Riaz Ahmed and took him into custody. Later, on the instructions of City Police Commissioner B Dayananda, Additional Commissioner of Police West Division Satish Kumar and South Division DCP Lokesh Bharamappa Jagalsar interrogated the accused into the incident.

South Division DCP Lokesh Bharamappa said that Riaz Ahmed has a licensed gun. While licensed weapons should be deposited at the local police station after the Lok Sabha Election Code of Conduct is enacted, the accused was exempted from the provision because he was attacked in 2019, the DCP said.