DK Shivakumar, Karnataka Congress Leader Slaps Party Worker; Video Goes Viral

A video showing Shivakumar assaulting a man has been widely shared on social media platforms, sparking criticism of his behaviour. He said the man he hit was a "boy of our household". July 9 incident, which took place in southern Karnataka's Mandya district, had an irritated Shivakumar smack the man on the head when he wrapped his arm around the senior politician. Moments later, he can be seen telling the man why he lost his cool even as the latter says "sorry anna" (sorry brother). When asked about it later, the Congress leader told NDTV, "What to say if one puts his arms around? What will people say? Can we allow such a thing because he is a karyakarta (worker)? What will others looking at it say?" Tweeting the video of the incident, BJP National General Secretary CT Ravi asked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi whether he had given a "licence for violence" to Shivakumar. He called him a follower of Kotwal Ramachandra, a Bengaluru gangster of the 1970s and 1980s. Watch the video to know more.