Bengaluru: Congress woman politician, 4 others held for BJP leader's murder

Bengaluru: Srinivas Prasad alias Kithaganahalli Vasu, a BJP Bommasandra Town Municipal Council member and Dalit leader, was allegedly a victim of “local” political vendetta. Five people, including a woman politician, were arrested on Wednesday for their alleged involvement in Prasad’s murder on Tuesday morning at Hebbagodi police limits. The main accused, Manjunath, son of Sarojamma (Congress), president of Bommasandra municipality, is at large.

Sarojamma (45) was arrested along with the other accused – Madhu alias Spike (23), Narayanswamy (35), Murali G. alias Appu (20) and C. Manjunath alias Karpuru (29) – by the Bengaluru rural police under Sections 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and SC & ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.

Madhu, Sarojamma and C. Manjunath are from Anekal taluk, Narayanswamy and Murali are from Bengaluru East taluk.

The accused were produced before the local court on Wednesday and remanded in judicial custody. Though the police are yet to find out the motive behind the gruesome murder, it is learnt that Prasad was done to death because of political rivalry. “He was reportedly aspiring to become the TMC president and had challenged the change of reservation for the post from SC (General) to SC (Woman). The state government had recently modified the pattern of reservation for the posts of municipal council president and vice-president and Prasad had challenged the modification before the High Court,” said sources.