MLA denies involvement in rowdy-sheeter murder case

Bengaluru: BJP legislator and former Karnataka Minister Byrathi Basavaraj on Tuesday denied any involvement in the recent murder of rowdy-sheeter Shivaprakash alias ‘Biklu Shiva’, terming the police FIR against him as “politically motivated” and an attempt to tarnish his public image.

Speaking to the media, Basavaraj said, “I have no connection whatsoever with the deceased or the disputed land. I neither know the victim, the accused, nor the complainants. This FIR is an outcome of political malice meant to defame me.”

Basavaraj questioned the grounds on which the FIR was filed, stating, “Can anyone register an FIR against a public servant without preliminary inquiry? I have served as a minister and MLA with dignity. There must be an investigation into who is behind this conspiracy. I will bring this matter to the attention of the Home Minister Dr. G Parameshwara.”

The BJP leader said he would initiate legal proceedings to have his name removed from the FIR.

The FIR, filed at Bharathinagar Police Station in Bengaluru, names Basavaraj and four others—identified as Jagadeesh, Kiran, Vimal, and Anil—as accused in the murder of Shivaprakash. The complaint, filed by the victim’s mother Vijayalakshmi, alleges that Shivaprakash had been repeatedly threatened over a land dispute near Kittaganur and was attacked with lethal weapons outside his home by a group that arrived in a white Scorpio late at night.

The complaint further alleges that Basavaraj’s influence enabled the assailants to carry out the murder, a claim the legislator has strongly refuted.