Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Wednesday refused to apologise for the phone conversation in which he was heard telling a person to kill the murderers of a worker of his party “mercilessly”, PTI reported. Kumaraswamy said he is an “emotional person”, a day after controversy erupted over his comments caught on camera soon after Janata Dal (Secular) worker Prakash was killed on Monday in Mandya district.

Meanwhile, T Narasimha Murthy, a human rights activist, urged the State Human Rights Commission to issue a notice to the chief minister to seek an explanation. Murthy called the remarks a “clear violation” of human rights, and asked the commission “to examine the implications and impact of such emotional remarks on the police, judiciary and public”.

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On Wednesday, Bharatiya Janata Party leader BS Yeddyurappa demanded that Kumaraswamy apologise to the people of the state. Instead, Kumaraswamy pointed out an incident of the killings of two farmers, allegedly in police firing, when Yeddyurappa was the chief minister, and asked, “Was it not a big issue?”

Kumaraswamy reiterated the defence he had given on Tuesday: “It is not a big issue...it is human tendency...in that sort of a situation any human being will react like that. Even if a single citizen is in trouble, I will involve myself...that issue is over according to me.”

On Tuesday, Kumaraswamy had denied the Bharatiya Janata Party’s allegations that he had ordered the accused’s killing just because the victim was a Janata Dal (Secular) worker. “This should not happen to any citizen in the state,” he said. “The media need not misunderstand me over the use of the term shootout.”

The police have booked seven persons in connection with the murder of Prakash, PTI reported. Additional Superintendent of Police (Mandya) Balaramegowda told the news agency that old rivalry or a political motive are suspected to be behind the murder. No one has been arrested so far.