Representative image.
Credit: iStock Photo
Bengaluru: The Nelamangala Rural police, on the outskirts of Bengaluru, have arrested two men, including a senior journalist, in connection with the murder of a labourer.
The suspects are Manjunath, 34, and his brother-in-law Ravikumar, 39, a senior reporter for a prominent Kannada digital news platform. Both are residents of the Nelamangala Rural area, the police said on Wednesday.
The victim, Siddaraju, was allegedly beaten to death by the duo on January 10 at Hurulihalli village after being accused of stealing coconuts from Manjunath’s farm.
“Siddaraju was also stomped in the groin,” a senior officer told DH.
Siddaraju’s son, Chethan HS, found him around 8 pm after receiving a phone call from Manjunath.
Siddaraju, writhing in pain with injuries on his limbs and stomach, succumbed to his injuries shortly thereafter. He was declared dead at 9.10 pm at a government hospital in Nelamangala.
Exploitation & discrimination
Investigations revealed that Siddaraju had been working on Manjunath’s farm for six months without pay.
According to the police, he was regularly beaten and humiliated. “The suspects often forced Siddaraju to collect fallen coconuts and later accused him of stealing them, using this as a pretext for physical abuse,” the officer said.
The probe also uncovered caste-based discrimination. The suspects allegedly mistreated Siddaraju because he belonged to a Scheduled Tribe (ST). “They often boasted of their higher caste status and used Ravikumar’s press credentials to issue threats,” the officer added.
Legal action
Manjunath and Ravikumar have been booked under BNS Section 103(1) (murder) and relevant sections of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Since the SC-ST Act has been invoked, a DySP-ranked officer is overseeing the investigation.