Southern States - Karnataka   

Protest over murder continues

By Our Staff Correspondent

MYSORE July 16. The protest over the cold-blooded murder of a youth at KG Koppal on Sunday resumed at the KR Hospital mortuary on Wednesday when a post-mortem was conducted under heavy security.

Police accompanied the hearse van to the cemetery behind K.G. Koppal where the last rites were performed amid tension. A close friend, Mahadeva, allegedly killed Kumaraswamy (23) by smashing his head with a boulder.

Kumaraswamy's body was recovered on Tuesday after police launched a hunt to trace the "missing" youth.

As soon as news spread that Kumaraswamy's body had been recovered, a large crowd comprising the youth's family members, relatives, friends, and neighbours gathered in front of Mahadeva's house at New Kantharaj Urs Road, adjoining K G Koppal, and started pelting stones.

Tension gripped the area disrupting traffic for almost three hours. Police were deployed and the area was cordoned off. Traffic had to be diverted to bring the situation under control while the agitated crowd kept the youth's body in front of the alleged killer's house.

According to police, the murdered youth and his alleged killer Mahadeva were bosom friends who worked at construction sites. Mahadeva, the accused, used to get contracts and Kumaraswamy helped him execute them. But, a dispute had been brewing between the two ever since Kumaraswamy started accepting the contracts himself, much to the chagrin of Mahadeva. The two fell out with each other and started squabbling.

According to the police's version of the sequence of events that led to the murder, on Sunday night, Kumaraswamy and Mahadeva went to a bar with another friend Naga. After a round of drinking, the two began quarrelling again.

When Kumaraswamy prepared to leave with Naga, Mahadeva told Naga that he and Kumaraswamy were friends and he wished to speak to Kumaraswamy privately.

After Naga left alone, Mahadeva reportedly led Kumaraswamy to a deserted spot nearby, pushed him to the ground, and smashed his head with a boulder.

Later, he dumped the body into a nearby drain.

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