Kalaburagi: A nine-foot-tall statue of former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah appeared overnight near the High Court Road intersection in Kalaburagi and was removed by civic authorities soon after, after officials found that it had been installed without permission. The incident occurred ahead of Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar’s visit to the city for the Kalyana Karnataka Utsava.
According to reports, a group of around seven to eight people brought the statue to the location late on Wednesday and installed it in a public space. Officials subsequently reached the spot and removed it in the presence of police. The sudden appearance and removal of the statue has attracted attention because of its timing and the location.
Statue appeared ahead of Shivakumar’s visit
The statue was installed at a junction on the route associated with Shivakumar’s scheduled visit to Kalaburagi and his onward programme towards Afzalpur and Ganagapura.
Shivakumar was in Kalaburagi to participate in the Kalyana Karnataka Utsava, held to commemorate the integration of the Hyderabad-Karnataka region with India following the end of the Nizam’s rule on September 17, 1948.
The timing led to speculation about the reason for the installation. However, there has been no confirmed statement establishing that the statue was installed as a political message to Shivakumar.
Civic authorities remove statue
Municipal officials removed the statue after learning that it had been installed without the required permission.
Hindustan Times, citing sources, reported that the statue was installed by Siddaramaiah’s supporters and that municipal authorities took action after discovering the lack of permission. The removal was carried out with police presence.
NDTV reported that the concrete mixture used to fix the statue had not completely dried when officials reached the location. The statue was golden in colour and depicted Siddaramaiah with his hands raised.
The people responsible for installing the statue have not been clearly identified in the available reports.
Spot had earlier been called Siddaramaiah Circle
The location has also been associated with Siddaramaiah’s name in the past.
Reports said that the spot had been referred to as Siddaramaiah Circle for around three years after a board was put up there. That naming was also reportedly done without following the required official procedure.
Public Television reported that people had earlier installed a banner and referred to the location as Siddaramaiah Circle when he was Chief Minister.
The latest installation therefore revived attention around the location and its informal association with the former Chief Minister.
Siddaramaiah statue draws political attention
The incident has attracted political attention because Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar have been central figures in Karnataka Congress politics.
Siddaramaiah served as Chief Minister before Shivakumar became Chief Minister. The statue appeared at a time when Shivakumar was visiting Kalaburagi, leading observers and political commentators to discuss whether the installation was intended to convey a political message.
The Indian Express reported that the episode has also brought attention to internal differences within the Karnataka Congress. However, the identity and political affiliation of those who installed the statue have not been conclusively established in the available reports.
Shivakumar attends Kalyana Karnataka Utsava
Shivakumar visited Kalaburagi for the Kalyana Karnataka Utsava on September 17.
The event commemorates the end of the Nizam of Hyderabad’s rule and the region’s integration with India in 1948. Shivakumar inaugurated the celebrations, while several major roads in the city carried posters, banners and flexes featuring the Chief Minister.
The statue controversy unfolded against the backdrop of these official celebrations.
No permission cited as reason for removal
While the timing of the installation has generated political discussion, the stated reason for the civic action was straightforward: the statue had been installed in a public space without permission.
Officials have not publicly established that the statue was removed because of its depiction of Siddaramaiah or because Shivakumar was visiting the city. Reports instead identify the lack of authorisation as the basis for the removal.
The episode lasted only a short time, but the unusual sequence — an overnight installation followed by removal the next morning — has drawn considerable attention in Kalaburagi.
Investigation into installation remains unclear
As of the latest reports, it is not clear who formally organised or funded the installation of the statue. Reports have described the installers as Siddaramaiah supporters or a group of people, but no confirmed identification of those individuals has emerged.
The incident has also renewed questions about unauthorised installation of statues and naming of public spaces. Any further civic or police action will depend on identification of those responsible and the applicable procedures.
For now, the statue has been removed from the High Court Road intersection, while the political discussion surrounding its brief appearance continues.