From accident to murder: How police revealed the truth behind a Karnataka BJP leader’s death

Balachandra Kalagi, an progressive BJP worker

Balachandra Kalagi, 42, was a nonmigratory of Sampaje colony successful Kodagu district. He was the caput of the Kodagu territory BJP portion and was precise progressive successful section authorities and societal work. Kalagi was the president of Sampaje colony panchayat for 3 terms, during which helium passed an bid against opening liquor shops oregon bars successful colony limits and took up respective measures to support the colony clean. He was adjacent to BJP MLAs and the section MP and enjoyed their enactment too.

On March 19, 2019, H N Siddaiah, past a constabulary inspector successful the Madikeri agrarian constabulary limits, received accusation astir 7 p.m. that Kalagi had died successful a roadworthy mishap and his assemblage had been shifted to the authorities hospital.

“I rushed to the infirmary with my staff. A batch of followers of Kalagi and the BJP had gathered there. As the doctors had declared him dead, Kalagi’s assemblage was sent for a post-mortem. By then, his woman Sunitha had reached the hospital. The constabulary registered a First Information Report nether Section 304(a) (death caused owed by negligence),” Siddaiah recalled.

As per the archetypal accusation the constabulary received, Kalagi was travelling location successful his Omni van. As helium arrived adjacent Mekeri, 5 km distant from Madikeri town, a lorry deed his conveyance from the front, sidesplitting him connected the spot. The operator of the lorry was connected the run, the constabulary learnt.

“I visited the mishap spot but thing was amiss. I was not convinced that it was an accident. The lorry had turned from the near to the utmost close to deed the Omni van. I checked whether Kalagi was a bully operator and the reply was yes. We decided to cheque who the lorry operator was,” Siddaiah said.

However, doubts aside, astatine the time, the constabulary did not person immoderate grounds to accidental it was murder.

How the lawsuit turned

It was not conscionable the constabulary who thought that determination was thing fishy astir the accident. People began talking too, suggesting that Kalagi, who was readying to basal for the Grama Panchayat president elections, could person been killed by his governmental rivals. Pressure began mounting connected the constabulary to ace the case.

“Then Mysuru-Kodagu Lok Sabha MP Pratap Simha and different BJP leaders visited the country and demanded a just probe. We assured them that we would get the information out,” Siddaiah said.

When the constabulary asked Sunitha if Kalagi had immoderate enemies successful concern oregon politics, she named Sampath Kumar K A and H K Hari Prasad, who stayed successful the aforesaid village. Both had attended Kalagi’s ceremonial and had expressed their condolences to the family.

The constabulary decided to cheque Kumar’s telephone item records (CDR). The CDR revealed that Kumar was successful the territory but the constabulary noted a flurry of calls betwixt Kumar and 2 numbers, 1 of which belonged to Prasad. The CDR details revealed that they had made respective calls to each different implicit 10 days and met astatine 3 places aft March 14, 2019.

“It was a captious hint for us. We initially picked Kumar and Prasad. They were taken to an undisclosed determination and were questioned separately,” Siddaiah said, adding that they soon spilled the beans.

Balachandra Kalagi’s Omni van was deed by a lorry, starring to his death. (Express)

According to the police, investigations revealed that Prasad had approached Kumar to execution Kalagi saying that helium was acceptable to pay. Kumar knew Jayan, a lorry operator and nonmigratory of Bollur village, was successful fiscal distress and needed money.

Kumar allegedly approached Jayan, asked him to termination Kalagi, and told him to marque it look similar an accident. They agreed to wide his loans and said they would supply ineligible assistance for his merchandise later. Jayan agreed. On March 16, 2019, Prasad gave Jayan a caller mobile telephone and a SIM card, asking him to usage this instrumentality to telephone him, the constabulary said. This was the 3rd fig the constabulary recovered suspicious successful the CDR.

On March 19, 2019, Prasad, who was monitoring Kalagi’s movements, learnt that helium was heading to a temple successful a car on with his wife. Prasad and Kumar followed Kalagi from 9.30 am. According to the constabulary chargesheet, Kalagi went to Madikeri and Kushalnagar and past returned to Madikeri. While his woman returned home, Kalagi was headed towards Murnad.

Jayan was allegedly asked to ticker retired for Kalagi. As per the plan, 5 km distant from Madikeri, Jayan drove the lorry astatine precocious velocity and deed Kalagi’s conveyance astir 6.15 pm, the constabulary said. Jayan informed Prasad and Kumar utilizing his caller mobile telephone and discarded it successful a river, the constabulary said.

Kumar and Prasad were successful constabulary custody but the constabulary managed to support the accusation from the media. Assuming that each went according to plan, connected the 3rd time aft the incident, Jayan walked into Madikeri agrarian constabulary presumption and confessed to the ‘accident’. The constabulary did not apprehension Jayan but sent him away, asking him to look whenever they called him.

Jayan instantly called Kumar and Prasad, telling them that helium had gone to the constabulary presumption and confessed. What helium did not cognize was that Kumar and Prasad were already successful constabulary custody. The constabulary connected the dots and arrested Jayan. Kumar and Prasad were arrested six days aft Kalagi’s murder.

Permission denied, a execution planned

Kalagi, a Grama Panchayat president for 3 terms, did not let liquor shops to run successful his area. Prasad and Kumar wanted to unfastened a liquor store and a nine successful Sampaje colony panchayat but Kalagi denied them permission. Differences cropped up betwixt them implicit this issue. Prasad had approached Kalagi astatine his residence a mates of times for a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to unfastened the liquor store and the duo had argued implicit the same. Sunitha, who had witnessed the incident, revealed this to the police.

Kalagi besides had raised objections against the accused for illegally transporting sand, stones, laterite stones and gravel stones from Mangaluru to Sullia towards Kodagu and had warned of ineligible action. As Grama Panchayat elections were nearing, Kalagi was getting acceptable to contention again.

His triumph would mean that Kumar and Prasad would person to shelve their plans to unfastened a liquor shop. It was this that prompted them to program his murder, the constabulary said.

Convicted for life

After arresting each 3 accused, the constabulary filed a chargesheet earlier the Madikeri territory tribunal successful July. Prasad, Kumar and Jayan walked retired connected bail. In October 2020, Kumar was changeable dormant astatine his residence, allegedly to avenge Kalagi’s murder.

On October 16 this year, the archetypal further territory and sessions judge, Kodagu district, convicted Prasad and Jayan to beingness imprisonment. “Even though the volition is to termination said Kalagi, they privation to get the lesser punishment by showing the aforesaid arsenic an accident, further if astatine each the persons who are doing bully to the society, are killed by the criminals, definitely, it volition nonstop a incorrect connection to the nine astatine large. If this continues successful the future, nary 1 volition travel guardant successful bid to bash bully for society. Therefore, the highest punishment is to beryllium awarded to these criminals since the Court came to the decision that the Accused persons person committed the offences,” Judge Prashanthi G said successful the order.

N P Devendra, the nationalist authoritative successful the case, told The Indian Express that it was a challenging lawsuit for the prosecution. “There was nary oculus witnesser and the accused’s statements earlier the tribunal are not admissible. But the full lawsuit was argued connected circumstantial evidence. ‘Men whitethorn lie, but not the circumstance.’ We cited the judgement successful erstwhile Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s assassination lawsuit which was besides based connected circumstantial evidence. The tribunal considered it,” helium added.

Siddaiah, who retired arsenic a lawman superintendent of police, is present spending his days successful his hometown Hassan. “I americium blessed that the lawsuit I investigated ended up successful a conviction. I judge justness has been served for the Kalagi family,” helium said.