Old gang rivalry spilled over to the streets of the city’s outskirts, ending in the brutal murder of a JD (S) politician and that of one more late on Wednesday evening.
Binnamangala Krishnappa alias BEML Krishnappa, member of Bangalore Rural Zilla Panchayat in Begur constituency, was shot and hacked to death by members of a rival gang on the busy National Highway 4, just 3 km from Nelamangala town.
Krishnappa was a prime contender for the Dasarahalli constituency on a JD (S) ticket in the next Assembly elections. The politician’s gunman, travelling in a separate car, retaliated following the attack, killing one of the gang members.
A three-time ZP member — twice on a Congress ticket — Krishnappa’s convoy of four vehicles was ambushed by a mob of 35 at Arishinakunte.
Violence erupted in Nelamangala town following the killings and mobs resorted to arson and stoning of vehicles. The arterial highway was shut down for two hours.
The police said the victim had left a hotel in Seshadripuram here and was on his way to Nelamangala when around 7.45 p.m., the rival gang, following in a van, intercepted his car. The attackers first fired at his car and then fell upon him with machetes and sickles. His gunman opened retaliatory fire.
Shaken by the violence, Nelamangala town came to a standstill and all business establishments shut down. Violence erupted as a KSRTC bus was burnt and many private vehicles were stoned. At least 10 buses, half a dozen lorries and three cars were damaged by the mob, which included about 300 supporters of Krishnappa. There was a traffic jam for about two hours on the highway. The police had assigned a gunman for Krishnappa after he received several threats in 2010. Sources claim that there were two attempts on his life in the past year alone on the politician.
There were several criminal cases against Krishnappa, who had survived an attack allegedly by the Bettangere Seena gang more than a year ago. Seena’s relative, Devendrappa, was murdered a year back, causing a lot of bad blood.
