Irate over leaders not visiting victims of communal clash, woman throws money offered by Siddaramaiah

Mother of one of the victims of the group clash, Rajima Begum, said that leaders and ministers only meet select people and not victims like her

A victim of communal violence angrily threw back the money given to her by Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah in Kulageri, Bagalkot district on Friday, as she was upset that no senior leader or minister had come so far to console the families who had suffered in the group clash at a dhaba near Kulageri.

Five persons were injured on July 7 when an angry mob beat up some youth sitting at a dhaba in Kulageri cross near Kerur town.

Mr Siddarmaiah is the MLA from Badami, which Kerur town is a part of. The Congress leader who is on a tour of Bagalkot district, stopped his car for a few minutes near Kulageri cross as local leaders wanted him to talk to some residents. Family members of the victims were also present in the crowd. After a local leader introduced them, Mr Siddaramaiah handed over ₹2 lakh compensation money, amounting ₹50,000 each to four families whose members had been injured.

Some victims, including women, began talking to Mr Siddarmaiah. Just as he seemed to decide to get down and talk to the aggrieved, the car began moving ahead. This angered the women who had gathered, an eye witness said. Rajima Begum, mother of one of the victims, threw the money back at a car which was following his vehicle, he added.

She was angry that no senior leader or minister had come to see them. She told Mr Siddarmaiah that even after a week, no one had met the affected families or consoled them. “Ministers come to the district and meet only a few select families. They don’t come to us. Former MLA H Y Meti has not come to meet us,’’ Ms. Begum said. A local Congress leader collected the notes that had fallen on the road, after Mr Siddaramaiah’s car moved away.

Kerur town had witnessed group clashes on July 6. Angry mobs had torched push carts and vehicles belonging to vendors in the old city. This was in response to a stabbing that followed a quarrel over the remarks by BJP spokesperson Nurpur Sharma on Prophet Mohammad. Four persons who were injured in the violence are recovering. Mr Siddarmaiah and other leaders visited the four victims of the clash at a private hospital in Bagalkot.