The kin of Madhu, a Dalit youth who was shot dead on Wednesday, are yet to come to terms with the tragedy that struck the poor family of Soppinahalli in Alur taluk.
Madhu, 28, had left home to attend a programme at a temple nearby along with two friends. Roopesh, a resident of the same village, stopped Madhu while he was returning home, and opened fire with his double-barrel gun around 3.15 p.m., killing him instantly.
Madhu’s mother Shivamma, who works as a cleaner in a hotel, took care of her two sons with her little earnings after her husband left them years ago. “How long can we continue like this? Will my son ever get justice?” she asks.
The motive behind the crime is allegedly a two-year-old incident where Madhu was accused of kidnapping a minor girl, the niece of Roopesh. While the family members of Madhu insisted that they were in love, the girl’s parents filed a complaint with the police, leading to Madhu’s arrest. He was put behind bars under POCSO Act. Madhu got bail and moved to Bengaluru looking for a job, while the matter was still in court.
“We sent him to Bengaluru to ensure he does not get in touch with the girl. He came back during the COVID-19 lockdown and got a job in a workshop in Hassan,” Madhu’s brother Manu told The Hindu.
“A month ago, Rupesh had openly said he would kill Madhu if he ever tried to talk to the girl again. We did not approach the police then. But, now he has done this,” said Manu. However, Manu does not know if his brother had contacted the girl after returning from Bengaluru.
Atrocities case
The Alur police have booked a case based on the complaint filed by Manu. The case has been registered under Sections 341, 355, 302, and 34 of IPC, besides the SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Roopesh and his father Shive Gowda have been named accused in the case. The police is said to have taken the accused into custody.