An 18-year-old was riding a motorcycle in Kanakapura, Karnataka, when a government bus behind him started honking hysterically, trying to overtake the bike. The young man refused to move aside and instead raced ahead on the narrow road. His friend, riding pillion, clung on to his seat with his heart in his mouth.
Almost 40 years later, D.K. Shivakumar seems to be living up to his reputation of being audacious. The troubleshooter of the Congress and seven-time MLA has earned the nickname ‘Kanakapura Bande’ (rock of Kanakapura) for his guts. On September 17, a special court in Delhi sent Shivakumar to judicial custody till October 1 in a money laundering case. The Vokkaliga strongman and former minister had been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate in Delhi for questioning on August 30, and was taken into custody four days later. The court also directed the ED to take him to the Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital first (he had chest pain and had been admitted there for some time during custody). If the doctors said he was well enough to be discharged, said the court, he would be taken to Tihar Jail. At the time of going to print, Shivakumar was in hospital.
When he was arrested, there were massive protests in Bengaluru and in his constituency of Kanakapura. And in the past two weeks, at least a thousand supporters have flown to Delhi to see him. The Congress veteran has said that he has been wrongly accused; those close to him allege a political conspiracy.
While there is high drama in Delhi, an eerie silence envelops Shivakumar’s native village of Doddalahalli, and the hamlet of Kodihalli, where his extended family lives. The villages are in Kanakapura taluk of Ramanagara district.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September 29, 2019-Ausgabe von THE WEEK.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September 29, 2019-Ausgabe von THE WEEK.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Stop ruling; start governing
In every election the voters elect a government.
HEALING THE EARTH
Land Restoration for a Drought-Resilient Future
Speak of the nawab
For Heeramandi's male lead, Taha Shah, the road to success was paved with flops
Northern delights
Four Kashmiri fashion labels that want to put the troubled region on the international style map
WOOING THE WAVES
India is developing strategic ports overseas and is exploring new oceanic trade routes to pursue its growing geopolitical objectives
TIPU, SULTAN!
In his first major election after the death of Mulayam Singh Yadav, Akhilesh humbles the BJP and proves he is his own man
A SLEEPER HIT
Naidu’s stunning victory raises questions about the vote-catching power of welfare schemes
SWEEPING LOSS
AAP’s disappointing performance has put a question mark on its relevance in the INDIA bloc
INDEPENDENTS' DAY
The Lok Sabha results in Baramulla and Ladakh reflect a churning among voters
Voters have changed, and we have benefited
In March 2022, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu asked a quirky question to actor-MP Suresh Gopi, who had come to the Rajya Sabha with a distinctive look.
