Caught in crossfire, 2 students killed over row at sports tourney in Karnataka

Prateek

An engineering graduate and a PUC student were murdered during a brawl at a sports tournament at Doddabelavangala, 54 km northwest of Bengaluru, on Friday.

Bharath Kumar (23) and Prateek (17), both from Doddabelavangala, were attacked by a four-member gang at the Karnataka Public School ground. Prateek was stabbed with a dagger that remained stuck in his private parts while Kumar was stabbed in the lower abdomen. A police source said the two had nothing to do with the brawl.

Residents staged a protest after the killings, and a large number of cops have been deployed in the village.

Mallikarjun Baldandi, Superintendent of Police, Bengaluru Dist, said the men drove up to the ground in a car and tried to park inside the ground but the players and organisers objected. An argument followed, and the crowd smashed the car’s glass. Outnumbered, the four left. They went to the police station but didn’t file a complaint.

Their car was again stopped and vandalised by those who took part in the tournament. While the four escaped, they ran into Kumar and Prateek who were wearing T-shirts provided by the organisers. The men stabbed the two though they were not part of the crowd that smashed the car, a police source said.

Baladandi said, “Instead of driving to the parking lot outside the ground, the four men drove into the ground, which led to the clash. People who took part in the tournament damaged their car.”

Police have formed a special team to nab the killers, said B R Ravikanthe Gowda, Inspector General of Police (Central Range).

One of the suspects has been identified as Vinay, said to be the son of a former gram panchayat president who was associated with the Congress.

He is a resident of Hulikunte village. The other suspects are his friends. Friday was the first day of the three-day sports tournament organised by the Kreeda Mattu Samaskruthika Vedike, Doddabelavangala, on the eve of Mahashivaratri.

It was sponsored by a local BJP leader who aspires to contest the Assembly election from Doddaballapur. Around 400 youths from different villages vied for cricket, kabaddi and volleyball honours at the tournament.