The tale has it that Molkalmuru in Chitradurga district of Karnataka owes its name to a battle between native Indians and the British. During the face-off, thanks to the rocky terrain of Chitradurga, the British suffered several broken knees and lost the battle. Thus came the name Molkalmuru, which means 'broken knees'.
Molkalmuru stays true to its name even in 2018. When B Sriramulu was announced as the BJP candidate in place of the sitting MLA N Thippeswamy, he had to face a barrage of stones and footwear hurled at him. Sriramulu, who is the Ballari MP, had his shirt torn by irate supporters of Thippeswamy and the police had to step in to ensure he got away.