Six Arrested For Killing Man Who Intervened In Petrol Bunk Brawl

Raichur: Six persons have been arrested for allegedly murdering a man who tried to pacify a dispute over a Rs 10 fuel payment at a petrol bunk in Hanchinal village under Idapanur police station limits in Raichur district.

According to police, the arrested have been identified as Ravi, Veeresh, Narasimha, Mareppa, Ramesh, and Praveen. They have been booked under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including murder, and relevant sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

The incident occurred around 8.35 pm on July 8 at an Indian Oil petrol bunk in the village. The altercation reportedly began after Mahesh allegedly paid Rs 10 less than the amount due for the fuel he had purchased, leading to an argument with Ravi, an employee at the petrol bunk.

Meghnath, who had gone to the petrol bunk, reportedly stepped in to calm the situation and separate those involved. A group of men allegedly confronted him for interfering in the quarrel and threatened him. During the confrontation, some of the accused allegedly abused him with caste-related slurs before attacking him with wooden logs.

Veeresh, allegedly struck Meghnath on the head with a wooden log, while Ravi is accused of hitting him again on the head. Narasimha allegedly assaulted him on the back with another wooden stick, causing Meghnath to collapse unconscious. Mahesh and Nagaraj, who also tried to intervene, were allegedly assaulted by the remaining accused.

The injured Meghnath was rushed to a hospital in Raichur, where doctors performed emergency surgery on his head between 5 am and 7 am on July 9. However, he failed to recover and was declared dead at around 8.25 am.

Based on a complaint lodged by Meghnath's wife, Idapanur police registered a case under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including murder, and relevant sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.