One person was killed after clashes broke out between supporters of Congress MLA Nara Bharath Reddy and BJP MLA Gali Janardhan Reddy in Ballari district of Karnataka, police said.
According to initial information from the police, the trouble started when supporters of Gali Janardhan Reddy objected to a banner put up by supporters of Nara Bharath Reddy in front of their leader’s house. What began as a heated argument soon turned violent.
Supporters from both sides allegedly started throwing stones at each other. Some of the stones also hit police personnel who had rushed to the spot to control the situation.
Police said they first tried to disperse the crowd and restore peace, but when the situation worsened, they had to use force. The police carried out a lathi charge and fired teargas shells to bring the violence under control.
Security has been tightened in the area, and further investigation is underway to find out how the clashes led to the death of one person.