Vinod M Jain
Belagavi: A 67-year-old former Army serviceman and his 26-year-old daughter were brutally hacked to death inside the Avaradi Gram Panchayat office in Kittur taluk of Belagavi district on Wednesday afternoon,allegedly over a long-standing family property dispute.
The deceased have been identified as Rudrappa Kundargi (67) and his daughter Shashikala Kundargi (26).
Rudrappa had reportedly travelled from Dharwad in a rented car to the Gram Panchayat office in connection with documents relating to the partition of ancestral property.
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Senior officer told reporters,Rudrappa’s brothers Basappa Kundargi and Sangappa Kundargi,along with Basappa’s son Madivalappa,allegedly entered the Panchayat premises after learning that Rudrappa was there.
Armed with an axe and a sickle,they allegedly attacked Rudrappa.
Shashikala,who reportedly tried to protect her father, was also attacked and killed.
The driver who had accompanied Rudrappa sustained serious injuries in the assault and has been admitted to a local hospital.
The preliminary investigation indicates that the dispute was over 38 guntas of ancestral land. Police said a court had ordered equal distribution of the property among the three brothers.
However,the circumstances surrounding Rudrappa’s alleged sale of his share and his subsequent claim over a portion of the remaining land are yet to be established.
Belagavi Superintendent of Police K.Ramarajan confirmed the double murder and said Rudrappa,a former Army man,and his daughter were killed by his brothers and nephew over the property dispute.
Police have launched a manhunt for the accused and formed teams to trace them under Kittur police station limits.Further investigation is under way.
