Two sentenced to life imprisonment for BJP leader's murder in Madikeri

Madikeri: The first additional district and sessions court has sentenced two persons to life imprisonment for murdering Kodagu district BJP general secretary Balachandra Kalagi.

Kalagi had raised his voice against a liquor shop in the Sampaje area bordering Dakshina Kannada district. The convicted individuals are Hariprasad (41) from Sampaje village and Jagan (40), a lorry driver from Gowlibeedi, Madikeri. Another accused, Sampath Kumar (34), a resident of Kallugundi near Sampaje, was murdered in Sullia in 2020.

The accused had deliberately rammed a lorry into the Maruti Omni vehicle driven by Balachandra Kalagi at Mekeri on March 19, 2019. Balachandra, who was severely injured, later succumbed to the injuries.

The investigation was done by a team led by CPI H N Siddayya. Judge G Prashanthi conducted the trial and sentenced the accused.

Balachandra Kalagi had campaigned to make Sampaje an alcohol-free village. He strongly opposed the proposal to open a recreation club and liquor shop by the accused, submitting a letter of objection. In March 2018, he had led a protest in the village against the opening of a liquor shop, which angered the accused, leading them to plot his murder.