- BJP youth leader Venkatesh Kuruba was hacked to death in Karnataka's Gangavathi early today
- Kuruba was attacked after a car rammed his bike; the attackers used knives and machetes
- Police say the murder was revenge for Kuruba helping arrest an accused in a 2003 case
A BJP youth wing leader was brutally hacked to death on a roadside in Karnataka's Gangavathi early this morning. Thirty-one-year-old Venkatesh Kuruba, president of BJP Yuva Morcha in Gangavathi, was on a bike when a car rammed the two-wheeler from behind. Men armed with knives and machetes got out of the car and attacked him. After murdering him, the killers fled the spot. A CCTV camera in the area captured the gruesome attack. The visuals show the attackers striking Venkatesh repeatedly.
Ram L Arasiddi, Superintendent of Police for Koppal district, said it was a revenge murder. "In 2003, Venkatesh helped police arrest the accused in a case. The same people are involved in this," he said.
Police have registered a case, and four people have been detained so far. The cops are saying they are looking at the crime from all angles, including how the killers knew Venkatesh would be travelling through the stretch alone around 2.30 am, and intercepted him there.
State BJP chief BY Vijayendra condoled the BJP Yuva Morcha leader's death. "The news of the tragic demise of Venkatesh, who was the president of the Yuva Morcha in Gangavati taluk of Koppal district, is heartbreaking. I express my condolences for his death. May Venkatesh's soul attain eternal peace, and may God grant strength to his family to bear this sorrow."
Friends of Kuruba, who witnessed the murder, have told police that the group that killed him comprised seven to eight people.
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