Shivamogga: In connection with the theft of Padma Awards that had occurred in the historic house of Rashtrakavi K.V.Puttappa (Kuvempu) at Kuppali in Tirthahalli taluk of Shivamogga district on Tuesday, police yesterday, released a CCTV image of a person in action inside Kuvempu’s house.
Iconic Kannada poet Kuvempu’s prestigious Padma Vibhushan and Padma Bhushan awards were stolen from his ancestral home Kavishaila in Theerthahalli on November 24. The robbers smashed six CC cameras, a telephone set and office material and escaped with Rs 1,000 cash kept in the book stall counter. A complaint was registered at Theerthahalli police station.
Speaking to reporters, Superintendent of Police P Ravi D. Channannavar said that the incident happened when the duty watchman had left the place to have dinner.
The police suspect that the incident might have taken place before the alternate watchman took charge of the premises.
SP further added that the unidentified person broke into the house from the rear door using a ladder and ran away with the Padma award medals and also the Mysore University doctorate medal besides ransacking the house. The culprits also damaged the Karnataka Ratna award shield and the award shield of ‘Shatamanada Vyakti’ conferred by Mangaluru Lions Club.
Kuppali Venkatappagowda Puttappa, widely known by the pen name Kuvempu or by the abbreviation K. V. Puttappa, is a Kannada writer and poet, widely regarded as the greatest poet of 20th century Kannada literature.
He was conferred Padma Bhushan award in the year 1958 and Padma Vibhushan in 1988.
