Shivakumar Orders Probe After Ministers Stopped at Mysuru Puja

Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has ordered an inquiry after police restricted ministers’ access to the Nandidhwaja Puja during the Mysuru Dasara procession on October 21. The ministers were later allowed into the ritual after Shivakumar intervened, according to accounts of the incident and his statement. The puja took place on the Mysuru Palace premises at the start of the Jamboo Savari procession. Reports identify Kannada and Culture Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi, Agriculture Minister P.M. Narendra Swamy and Muzrai Minister K.S. Basavantappa among those initially stopped. Some accounts also name H.C. Balakrishna, making the number of ministers described as affected inconsistent across reports. Police officer C.B. Rishyanth was identified in accounts as having restricted access. Shivakumar said he intervened at the venue and directed that the ministers be allowed in. The accounts do not establish precisely how many people were stopped or the complete sequence of events. The chief minister directed Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh to investigate and identify the officials responsible. Shivakumar said action would be taken against officials found responsible after the...