Another BJP worker killed in Bengaluru; party demands NIA probe

Bengaluru, Jun 1: A local leader of Bharatiya Janata Party was hacked to death by a group of armed men in Surya City, on the outskirts of Bengaluru city, on Wednesday night.

The deceased has been identified as Harish, who Anekal unit vice-president of BJP's SC/ST Yuva Morcha. According to police, the incident took place around 9 pm when Harish, 40, was returning home from a bar and restaurant after meeting his friends.

The killers intercepted his motorcycle, threw chilli powder into his eyes and hacked him to death, before fleeing the spot.

Police suspect personal rivalry to be the reason behind Harish's murder. After preliminary investigations, police said that recently Harish's relative Raju and his brothers were fishing in a tank in Anekal, when Harish argued with them saying they are fishing in the pond illegally.

"A fight had broken out between Raju and Harish and finally with the intervention of locals the situation was defused. But later, Harish went to Raju's house and beat up him and his parents, after which he went out to the restaurant to party with his friends on Wednesday," the police said.

Police suspect Raju was enraged after the incident and that he and his relatives might have killed Harish to avenge the humiliation. The Surya City police booked a case and are on the lookout for Raju and the others.

Harish was elected to the post of vice-president of the morcha a week ago. Following the murder, some of his family members staged a protest alleging that it was politically motivated.

Reacting to the murder, BJP general secretary Shobha Karandlaje sought an NIA probe into the murders of BJP workers in the State. She was speaking to reporters in Kalaburagi.

Similar attacks in the past

In March, a BJP municipality member was hacked to death by unidentified assailants.

Kithaganahalli Vasu of the Bomnasandra municipality was on his way to the morning walk when he was attacked by some miscreants.

A land dispute was believed to be the reason behind the attack on the BJP municipality member.

Last year, a senior member of the BJP's Dharwad district panchayat in Karnataka was hacked to death by unidentified men.

The BJP leader was attacked with a machete when he was on his way to a gymnasium.

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

Major facelift for Mangaluru's sporting heart: Mangala Stadium set for 2-month closure to upgrade synthetic track

News Network

December 15,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 15: Educational institutions in Mangaluru that rely on the popular Mangala Stadium for their annual sports events are bracing for an inconvenience as the city's key sporting venue is set to close its gates for a significant upgrade. The stadium is expected to be unavailable for approximately two months starting from January 15, 2026.

The closure is necessitated by a proposed overhaul of the stadium's facilities, with a special focus on upgrading the synthetic track. Pradeep Dsouza, Assistant Director of the District of Youth Empowerment and Sports (DYES), Dakshina Kannada, confirmed the development.

"Experts have visited the stadium, conducted a thorough inspection, and have given the go-ahead for a complete makeover," Dsouza stated. "Funds have been allocated for the project, and we are currently awaiting the final green signal from state officials to commence the work. We anticipate that the work will likely begin in the second week of January. Consequently, we have stopped renting out the stadium to colleges and other organizations in preparation for the upgrade."

The timing presents a logistical challenge for colleges, as many schools have already concluded their sports meets.

"Colleges will now be organizing their events and will need to find alternative locations to host their sports meets," Dsouza added. He suggested a few potential venues, including the Dakshina Kannada police ground, University College grounds, Panambur grounds, Swaraj Maidan in Moodbidri, and the Mangalore University sports grounds in Konaje.

However, many institutions note that finding a comparable venue will be difficult. While the DK police ground and University College grounds are closer to the city center, they do not possess the extensive facilities and infrastructure offered by Mangala Stadium.

Dr. P Dayananda Pai - P Satisha Govt First Grade College, Carstreet, is one such institution dependent on the stadium. Principal Jayakar Bhandary expressed hope for a swift completion of the work. "We expect the work to be completed at the earliest. If not, we will be forced to look for other venues to host the sports day for our students," Bhandary said, highlighting the pressing need for the city's main sporting facility.

Comments