Mulbagal taluk panchayat member murdered in Karnataka

Tension gripped Mulbagal taluk in Kolar district following the murder of a panchayat member from the Janata Dal (Secular) over suspected political rivalry.

The 43-year-old taluk panchayat member, Chowde Gowda aka Chowdappa, was allegedly hacked to death in his house in Rajendrahalli around 2.15 pm.

Three unidentified machete-wielding persons barged into his house and murdered him, before escaping in a van, circle inspector Shiva Kumar said.

The KSRTC bus conductor-turned-politician died on the spot before getting medical attention. His wife, Padma, who was in the house, was not attacked. The couple's son, Kiran, was in school when the murder was committed.

Following the murder, police deployed a platoon of District Armed Reserve in the area to prevent any untoward incidents. The JD(S), BJP, CPI, and other political organisations have called for a 12-hour bandh, starting at 6 am on Saturday, condemning the murder and demanding the arrest of the culprits.

Police said Gowda had won the taluk panchayat poll on a JD(S) ticket with BJP support. He was at loggerheads with Rajendra Gowda, the defeated Congress candidate. A senior police officer expressed suspicion that contract killers were involved in the incident. Mulbagal is about 100 km from Bangalore.