D.K. Shivakumar - Villagers Recount Leader's Stories

People in D.K. Shivakumar’s village, stumped by his arrest for alleged money laundering, recount the tales of the Congress veteran

- Prathima Nandakumar

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.