Karnataka - Bidar   

Nagamarapalli's son murdered in spat over land dispute; tension in Bidar

Staff Correspondent

He led about 40 plot owners to meet `dhaba' Venkat to resolve land dispute

ANGRY MOURNERS: The crowd that gathered in front of the Bidar district hospital where the body of Vijay Kumar Nagamarapalli was kept on Friday.

Bidar: Tension prevailed in Bidar on Friday, after Vijay Kumar Nagamarapalli, son of MLA and former minister Gurupadappa Nagamarapalli, was stabbed to death allegedly by a dhaba owner and his associates.

Seven others, including a police sub-inspector, were injured in the incident. One circle inspector, two sub-inspectors and five constables were present when the incident happened.

The police have arrested Venkat Rama Rao, also known as Dhaba Venkat and his brothers, Bheema and Krishna.

According to the police, Venkat was illegally occupying a piece of land valued at around Rs. 2 crore, next to the central bus station. Forty-nine people, who owned plots in that land, had filed cases against Venkat in the District Fast Track Court.

The court on Thursday ruled against Venkat. Spurred by this, the plot owners went to Venkat, asking him to vacate the land.

This group of plot owners was led by Vijay Kumar Nagamarapalli. Mr. Nagamarapalli was the litigant no. 13 in the case.

The officials said that Mr. Nagamarapalli carried a licensed weapon.

The licence was issued after his brother Umakanth Nagamarapalli was allegedly attacked by naxalites a few years ago, officials said.

The group met Venkat at his dhaba at around noon. An altercation followed.

Venkat allegedly started brandishing a sword when Mr. Nagamarapallli removed a revolver from his belt and threatened Venkat, eyewitnesses said.

Then, Venkat's brother Krishna hit Mr. Nagamarapalli's wrist and snatched the revolver. Krishna started firing around, eyewitnesses said. Venkat and Bheema allegedly attacked Mr. Nagamarapalli with swords. They started hitting the people in the group with stones and rods.

One of the persons who accompanied Mr. Nagamarapalli said that Venkat and his brothers were joined by three others.

The six threw chilli powder on the group, which made some of them run away, eyewitnesses said.

Besides Mr. Nagamarapalli, sub-inspector Subhash Gajre, co-operative movement leader Bharat Shekar, and four others were injured.

Mr. Nagamarapalli died on the way to a hospital in Hyderabad. His body was brought to Bidar district hospital for postmortem. Mr Gajre sustained head injury and convalescing in the district hospital. Zareppa, a construction worker, who received a bullet in his pelvic bone, was out of danger, doctors said. The four others were being treated.

Mr. Gurupadappa Nagamarapalli's supporters gathered in thousands in front of the district hospital. Many of his supporters like Bheemrao Diggi complained that the police failed to protect Vijay Kumar Nagamarapalli. Some of them raised slogans against the police. They demanded action against the police officials who were on duty in the jurisdictional police station on Friday.

A "bandh" was observed in Mr. Gurupadappa Nagamarapalli's constituency of Aurad. A "rasta roko" was organised in Santpur in Aurad taluk. Ban orders were imposed in and around Bidar till Saturday morning. Shopkeepers voluntarily closed their businesses. Schools and colleges were closed. Buses remained off the road.

In Assembly

Staff Reporter adds:

Home and Law Minister M.P. Prakash announced in the Legislative Assembly on Friday the murder of Mr. Vijay Kumar Nagamarapalli.

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