Hubballi: BJP leader, Yogesh Gouda, elected to the Hebballi Zilla Panchayat while still in prison, was on Wednesday cornered outside his own gym in Saptapur, Dharwad by a gang of men, who threw chilli powder into his eyes before chasing him as he ran indoors and hacking him to death in broad daylight.
The police, which has launched a search operation to nab his killers, said he was hit on the face, head and neck and also his right hand. His jaw was completely broken, according to Hubballi-Dharwad police commissioner, Pandurang Rane.
“He was attacked by five or six men carrying lethal weapons and iron rods. Yogesh Gouda tried to escape into the gym, but they followed and attacked him with their weapons, killing him instantly,” he added.
The BJP leader was arrested on charges of trying to assault police officers on duty during the Zilla Panchayat elections. Deputy commissioner, Rajendra Cholan claimed at the time that he had tried to obstruct a police sub-inspector, who was trying to stop the distribution of money to voters.
In the fracas that followed, BJP leaders, Jagadish Shettar and Prahlad Joshi had courted arrest and accused district in-charge minister, Vinay Kulkarni of instigating Yogesh’s arrest.
The Uday gym on College Road near Saptapur opens at 5:30 am. While professional body builders use it for the first hour, the second hour between 6:30 am and 7:30 am is reserved for women. But for the next half hour the gym is usually empty. The gang appears to have used this interval to attack the ZP member.
The police is looking at the footage of a CCTV camera installed at Saptapur Circle after the murder of rationalist, Dr M M Kalburgi's murder, to find his killers.
While the BJP leader reportedly had an angry exchange with a group of people from the old Dharwad area Tuesday night, the police is looking at all angles, including enmity and property dealings, if any, to help it zero in on his
assailants .
