BJP worker ‘accidentally’ shot dead by poachers

HASSAN: A BJP worker was ‘accidently’ shot dead by poachers in Tambalageri of Sakleshpur taluk on Monday evening. The deceased has been identified as Naveen (39) of the same village. Naveen collapsed on the spot after receiving bullet injuries on his chest while two others who accompanied him were injured in the incident.

The incident occurred when Naveen was fishing, along with Dayananda and Padmanabha, in the backwaters of Hemavathi reservoir adjacent to the forest area where the miscreants of ten hunt animals. The villagers rushed to the spot immediately after hearing the bullet sound and shifted injured Dayananda and Padmanabha to the taluk hospital where they are undergoing treatment. Naveen is survived by his wife and a four-year-old daughter.

A dog squad was pressed into service and an FSL team from Mysuru visited the spot. Brushing aside political conspiracy or personal grudge, SP Hariram Shankar said Naveen was killed in an accidental fire as a bullet pierced Naveen’s chest when the miscreants were hunting in the same area. The police have interrogated one Rajachari who stood away from the spot in this connection.

The police have arrested two persons and one among them had been involved in a similar incident in the area. The police also have information that one Anil Kumar of the same village had carried the weapon belonging to his friend Nagaraj and returned the same in the night. However, the police will come up with an exact reason for the incident soon, he added.