Maddur: Senior JD(S) leader Thoppanahalli Prakash (50) was stabbed to death by miscreants in Maddur Town on Monday. Prakash, husband of former Mandya ZP President Lalitha, was a close confidante of Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and Transport Minister D.C. Thammanna, who represents Maddur constituency in the Assembly.
Prakash was travelling in his Innova car form the town’s TB Circle to APMC Coconut Market at about 4.30 pm, when he stopped the vehicle en-route to have a seat cover. Even as Prakash was seated in his vehicle, the assailants approached Prakash on the pretext of speaking to him and hacked him to death with lathal weapons.
The murder created fear among the shopkeepers nearby, who downed their shutters.
As the news spread, angry JD(S) workers blocked the even-busy Mysuru-Bengaluru Highway, throwing traffic out of gear for over five hours. Villagers from Thoppanahalli, Honnalagere and other villages rushed to Maddur town and damaged public properties. They also vandalised the Taluk Hospital. The road-blockade resulted in vehicles piling up to 10 kms on either side of the Highway at Maddur town.
Police suspect Prakash must have been murdered over political rivalry, Two years ago, Thoppanahalli village witnessed a tense situation as two JD(S) workers were hacked to death in broad daylight. A few weeks ago, another person from the same village was found murdered.
Following the brutal murder of Prakash, Additional Police forces are camping at Maddur, Thoppanahalli, Honnalagere villages. Senior Police personnel are monitoring the situation.
angry JD(S) activists blocking Mysuru-Bengaluru Highway
CM courts controversy
Meanwhile, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy courted a controversy when he reportedly directed the Police to track down the killers and shoot them mercilessly.
Upset over the brutal killing of Prakash, who was a close confidante of him, an angry CM Kumaraswamy is said to have told the Police, “Prakash was a good man. I don’t know who did it. But who ever have done it should be shot down mercilessly, I don’t care,” over phone.
The Chief Minister was at the Sainik School campus in Vijayapura when he was informed about Prakash’s murder at about 5.15 pm.
However, Kumaraswamy later took to social media on his ‘shoot down the killers’ remark and clarified that it was an emotional reaction when he heard about the murder from a Police Officer.
“It was not an order and there is no need to read too much into it,” the CM maintained.
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This post was published on December 25, 2018 6:43 pm