During a campaign rally in Karnataka, a man identified as Riyaz breached security measures by approaching Chief Minister Siddaramaiah while he was in an open vehicle. The man, visibly carrying a gun in a holster, unexpectedly leaped onto the vehicle and proceeded to garland the Congress leaders standing beside Siddaramaiah.
The incident took place in Bengaluru during Siddaramaiah's campaign for Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy's daughter and Congress' Lok Sabha candidate Sowmya Reddy.
Riyaz, the individual involved, garlanded Reddy, his daughter Sowmya, and other Congress leaders before descending from the vehicle. Siddaramaiah and others present only noticed the firearm after Riyaz had left.
According to the police, Riyaz had been carrying the gun since surviving a violent assault in the past, and he had been granted an exemption from surrendering his weapon due to security concerns.
A senior police official stated that the incident occurred near Wilson Garden, and an inquiry into the matter is underway.
The opposition BJP seized the opportunity to criticize the ruling Congress in Karnataka, suggesting that the incident revealed the company Siddaramaiah keeps, referring to those garlanded by him as "hooligans, rowdies, [and] street thugs."
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