Hubballi: The president of Chabbi Gram Panchayat was brutally killed late at night on Friday, while he was returning to his village after having dinner.

Basavaraj Kadapatti, a 29-year-old resident of Chabbi, was attacked at Agadi Cross, near Hubballi, by a gang of unidentified persons using lethal weapons who then fled the scene leaving the victim lying in a pool of blood. He had been elected as the gram panchayat president recently.

According to the police, the miscreants reportedly hit the car in which Kadapatti was travelling with their vehicle and then stopped him and got into an altercation with him. This led to them then attacking him with weapons.

Though Basavaraj has several political adversaries, police suspect that the reason behind his killing is not political in nature. However, they are still looking into personal rivalries as a possible motive. No reason has been ascertained as of now. A case has been registered at Hubballi rural police station and police are investigating.

Eom/pramod