"Kill them mercilessly" : Karnataka CM's order on phone goes viral

In video footage shot by local journalists, the Karnataka CM is heard questioning 'who killed' (Prakash), the local party leader and then instructing to 'kill the miscreant mercilessly'.

HD Kumaraswamy is heard saying on the phone, "He was a good man. I don't know who killed him and who killed him in this manner. Shoot them(the killers) mercilessly, there would be no issues."

The video, which has gone viral on social media, was also used by Karnataka unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to allege thqat  Kumaraswamy's JD(S) was creating 'anarchy' in the state.

However, the chief minister later clarified that he was shocked to hear about the killing and it was just an emotional outburst. "It (kill assailants mercilessly) was not my order as the Chief Minister, I was emotional at that moment. they (killers )are the reason for two murders and they were in jail. they came out on bail 2 days ago and killed another person(JDS leader Prakash), this is how they are misusing bail," he said.

The JDS local leader Prakash was hacked to death today in Mandya. The men opened the car's back door, where Prakash was sitting and attacked him. Initial reports said Prakash was alive after the attack but succumbed to his injuries later. The incident prompted protests by party workers who blocked the Bengaluru-Mysuru and Bengaluru-Dindigul highways, alleging that political rivalry was behind the "murder".

Meanwhile, according to News18, the incident resulted in protests by JDS workers who blocked Bengaluru-Mysuru and Bengaluru-Dindigul highways. The protestors alleged that political rivalry was the reason behind the 'murder' of the worker. While the protests caused a massive traffic jam on both the highways, with cars queuing up to over 15 km, the protests were later called off and the highways were cleared for traffic movement.

Image: twitter.com/CMofKarnataka