KALABURAGI: A nine-foot statue of former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah appeared overnight at High Court Circle in Kalaburagi, only to be removed by the city corporation hours later on Thursday, shortly before CM DK Shivakumar was scheduled to pass the spot on his way to inaugurate Kalyana Karnataka Utsava.Officials said the statue had been installed without permission from either the district administration or the corporation. Municipal officials learnt about the installation late Wednesday night and removed it under police cover, citing concerns over a possible law-and-order issue.The statue had drawn curious crowds, with several passersby assuming it had been installed with official approval. Its location also drew attention as it stood directly on the route Shivakumar was scheduled to take during his visit to Kalaburagi.Sources said around 10 people were behind the installation, several of them supporters of Siddaramaiah from the Kuruba community, to which the former CM belongs. The group has been demanding that High Court Circle be renamed after Siddaramaiah, but the government has not approved the proposal.This is not the first time such an attempt has been made. The same group had reportedly installed a Siddaramaiah statue at the spot around three years ago, but it was removed by authorities then as well.
