A heated controversy has broken out after an alleged scuffle took place in Karnataka Bhavan in New Delhi, wherein H Anjaneya, special officer of Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, accused C Mohan Kumar — assistant resident commissioner and special officer of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah — of physically attacking him with a shoe.
Anjaneya has lodged a formal complaint with Resident Commissioner Imkongla Jamir, demanding criminal action against Kumar for the act.
"I was assaulted with a shoe, and it has pained my honour and dignity. Conduct a criminal trial against him (Kumar) and give me justice," Anjaneya said in his complaint, according to news agency PTI.
Jamir accepted the complaint, which was made on July 22, and assured that necessary steps in accordance with protocol would be initiated.
In his elaborate letter, Anjaneya charged Kumar with regularly hindering his work. He alleged that Kumar had threatened him orally and tried to assault him in open view of others within the office.
"He threatened to kick me with a shoe in the office chamber in front of everybody," Anjaneya wrote, also expressing fears for his own safety while performing his duties as special officer to the deputy chief minister.
"If any accident occurs, Kumar will be held accountable," he warned in the letter.
Anjaneya went on to claim that Kumar has a disturbing record of misbehavior. Referencing past events, he stated, "If you see the service books in the past, he has assaulted M M Joshi and not shown respect to the senior officers and has acted with ego as special officer on duty for CM."
He added that he had earlier applied for a transfer from Karnataka Bhavan to prevent such face-offs, considering his position of special officer to the deputy chief minister.
The incident has been rapidly latched upon by opposition BJP in Karnataka, which is projecting it as a representation of internal conflict within the Congress-run state government.
The conflict between the aides has again given rise to rumors of increasing distance between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar. Though together steering the Congress to a resounding win in the 2023 state assembly polls, whispers of a power tug-of-war between the two top leaders have been ongoing since.
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