Maddur: A man has been brutally assaulted with a machete in front of Office staff and hundreds of people at Maddur Taluk Office yesterday afternoon and it is suspected that old enmity had led to the murderous assault. People, including the Office staff, who witnessed the incident, ran helter-skelter, but a few threw stones on the accused, caught hold of him and handed him over to the Police besides shifting the critically injured person to a hospital.

While the seriously injured man has been identified as 45-year-old Channaraju of Maraliga village in Koppa hobli of Maddur taluk, the man who assaulted him is Nandan of the   same village.

Details: There was a dispute between Channaraju and Nandan over a land in the village and the hearing was going on since many years at the Tahsildar Court. Channaraju and Nandan had come to the Tahsildar Court on Tuesday for the hearing and were waiting near the Tahsildar’s chamber. But suddenly, Nandan reportedly threw chilli powder into Channaraju’s eyes, took out the machete he had brought with him and lunged forward to attack Channaraju, who managed to escape to the first floor of the Taluk Office and came to the front side of the Taluk Office premises. But Nandan, who chased Channaraju, struck Channaraju with the machete, who fell down in the parking lot. Nandan then reportedly struck Channaraju more than 20 times with the machete causing severe bleeding from the injuries.

Meanwhile, a few people, who saw Channaraju writhing in pain and lying in a pool of blood, threw stones on Nandan, caught hold of him, beat him black and blue and handed him over to the Police. Channaraju, who was severely injured, was rushed to the Government Hospital in the town where he was provided first-aid and was later shifted to MIMS Hospital in Mandya.

Accused Nandan, who too had suffered injuries following the public trashing him, has been admitted to Maddur Government Hospital.

Based on the complaint lodged by Channaraju’s wife Padma, Maddur Police have registered a case. Tahsildar T.N. Narasimhamurthy, Maddur Rural Circle Inspector Manojkumar, Sub-Inspectors Umesh and Ravi visited the spot.

Old enmity: Meanwhile, Channaraju’s wife Padma said that her daughter was in love with a boy for which she and her husband Channaraju had objected. But a few people including Nandan took her daughter and got her married with the boy she was in love and this was told to her by her daughter.

It was here the enmity between Nandan and Channaraju began and grew which was leading to frequent fights, she said and added that Nandan had threatened to kill them following which a complaint was lodged against Nandan at the local Police Station.

She further stated that Channaraju had registered the part of their ancestral land which was given to him in her (Padma) and her daughter’s name. Though Nandan had nothing to do with it, he had filed a case seeking a portion of the land. Though a panchayat was held at the village, nothing happened and finally Channaraju and Padma filed a case at the Tahsildar Court.

Padma further said that as there was a hearing at the Tahsildar’s Court on Tuesday, she and her husband had come to the Taluk Office during which Nandan brutally assaulted her husband and added that she too had suffered injuries on her hand, ear, head and back when she tried to prevent Nandan from assaulting her husband.

Stating that no one came forward to save her husband when he was being assaulted by Nandan mercilessly despite her pleading for help, she said that Nandan stopped assaulting her husband Channaraju only when a lawyer hit Nandan with a stone.

Superintendent of Police (SP) N. Yathish visited MIMS Hospital in Mandya and collected information pertaining to the health condition of Channaraju.