Mudigere, Jan 2: Irate villagers lynched an inebriated man after he brutally killed a two-and-a-half-year-old baby girl in full public view at Billur village, Mudigere taluk, Chikmagalur district on Tuesday.
According to the police, Naronha Prakash and five other labourers from Balehonnur taluk in the district had come to Pattadur, off Billur, on Monday evening to dig an open well at Shanmukhe Gowda's farm. The labourers who paunch drank on the New Year eve had a violent fight among themselves. During the brawl, Prakash allegedly attacked fellow labourer Sridhara on the neck with a knife.
On Tuesday morning, Prakash, who again consumed liquor, attacked Sumitra, who lives in a shed near the farm, with a pickaxe. He snatched her baby, Sinchana, and rammed her head against the ground.
He dragged a badly injured Sinchana on the Pattadur road for over a distance of 1.5 kms. Prakash allegedly attacked passers-by who tried to rescue the baby. He also attacked three motorists, police and eyewitnesses said.
When the public chased him, Prakash rushed to a roadside shop and ransacked it, causing a loss of Rs 50,000 to its owner Manjula. He took soft drink bottles from the shop and smashed them on little Sinchana's head and, hurled stones at people who rushed stop him.
On seeing the plight of Sinchana, a local resident fired at Prakash in his legs and immobilised him. As Prakash fell, people attacked him with clubs and killed him on the spot, the police said.
The bodies of Prakash and Sinchana were handed over to the respective families after autopsy. Superintendent of Police N Shashi Kumar visited the spot. Sinchana was the only daughter of Suresh and Sumitra. She was born nearly a decade after their marriage, the family said.
Meanwhile, residents of Billur and neighbouring areas accused the police of not reaching the spot immediately. As officials from almost all the police stations had been to Chikkamagalur town to greet senior officials on the New Year, there were hardly any vehicles at police stations. Lower-rung staff had to hire autorickshaws to reach the spot, they alleged.
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