Both Siddaramaiah and the official appeared upset as the incident was caught on camera.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today slapped a senior government official by mistake while trying to avoid a crowd in Ballari, a northeastern town in Karnataka. The senior official however claimed that he wasn't slapped by the CM.

Siddaramaiah was in Ballari this afternoon to to attend Launch Developmental Works at Municipal College Grounds when the incident occurred. Hundreds of people turned up to greet the CM at the event. Unable to take control of the crowd, the CM lost his patience and accidentally raised his hand on Ballari Municipal Corporation Commissioner Ramesh.

Both Siddaramaiah and the official appeared upset as the incident was caught on camera.

However, Siddaramaiah later clarified that he did not slap the official.

"It is true that Siddaramaiah raised his hand to direct the security personnel to prevent the commotion. He did not slap me," the official claimed, though the TV footage clearly shows Siddaramaiah's right hand landing on Ramesh's face.

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