Bengaluru, Jan 4 (NationPress) - The police in Karnataka have apprehended a gunman associated with an aide of Congress MLA Nara Bharat Reddy in relation to the deadly shootout that claimed the life of a Congress party worker, as reported by officials on Sunday.

This incident is poised to ignite significant controversy, arising from a confrontation over banner installation between supporters of MLA Bharat Reddy and BJP mining magnate Gali Janardhana Reddy.

Authorities confirmed the arrest of Gurucharan Singh, a personal gunman to Satish Reddy, a close ally of Ballari city Congress MLA Bharat Reddy.

It has been determined that the Congress worker Rajashekar succumbed to injuries after being struck by a bullet fired by Gurucharan Singh amidst the altercation. Following this revelation, the police took him into custody and later proceeded with a formal arrest.

Reports indicate that the 12 mm bullet was discharged from a range of four to five feet, which is why only one fatality occurred. Had the shot been fired from beyond 10 feet, the bullet might have dispersed, resulting in multiple injuries.

As of now, the police have detained 45 individuals for questioning and have formally arrested 26, including 13 BJP workers.

Nine gunmen have been detained, comprising four from Satish Reddy, one government gunman for MLA Bharat Reddy named Basavaraj, four government gunmen belonging to MLA Janardhana Reddy, and a gunman connected to former minister B. Sriramulu. As of now, only Gurucharan Singh, the gunman for Satish Reddy, has been officially arrested.

Medical assessments have been conducted on all individuals detained, police stated.

Authorities confirmed that the bullet that struck Rajashekar was indeed a 12 mm single-bore bullet. In relation to this case, Ballari police have seized five firearms.

In the wake of the violence in Ballari, BJP MLA Gali Janardhana Reddy has sent separate letters to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Home Minister G. Parameshwara, and Director General of Police Dr. M.A. Saleem, requesting 'Z' category security for himself and his family.

In these letters, he also called for the arrest of MLA Bharat Reddy and Satish Reddy and demanded action against police officials for allegedly failing to manage the situation. He insisted that if security is not provided and any harm befalls him or his family in the future, the state government should be held accountable.

However, Home Minister G. Parameshwara stated on Sunday that he had not yet received any such correspondence.

He noted that the shooting did not involve firearms or revolvers issued by the police, a fact validated by the Additional Director General of Police.

Parameshwara mentioned that the shooting was conducted using a private firearm and indicated that the government is contemplating transferring the investigation into the death of Congress worker Rajashekar to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

“I will confer with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, and if deemed necessary, we will assign the case to the CID for further investigation,” Parameshwara remarked.