Bengaluru: Hundreds of fans of jailed Kannada actor Darshan repeatedly chanted ‘D-Boss’ slogans during Karnataka chief minister DK Shivakumar’s address at a religious event in Ramanagara Tuesday, seeking his intervention in the fraught legal case.Constantly interrupted by fans’ chants, the CM appealed for calm and order, stopped his speech midway and sat down, in a clear expression of disappointment with the actor’s supporters. The CM appealed to Darshan’s fans “to pray rather than seek political intervention”, saying faith and patience were the only way forward while the legal process took its course.The incident took place during Sri Chamundeshwari Devi Karaga Mahotsava at Ramanagara, about 50km from Bengaluru. When the chants began for the first time, the CM said: “I understand your feelings. I understand your love for D-Boss. You need to be patient.”As repeated appeals failed to restore order amid chants reaching a crescendo, Shivakumar reminded the gathering that it was a religious programme and it should not be disrupted. Exasperated by frequent disruptions, the CM told the crowd, “Once you have told me, I have understood. You are spoiling everything by doing this. Be quiet.”Ramanagara MLA Iqbal Hussain took the mike and urged the people to maintain decorum.Referring to Darshan’s case, the CM said the government could not interfere because the matter was pending before the court. Videos of the exchange were widely shared on social media on Wednesday.
