JOIN USDid it on ‘Vishaka’: Lokayukta attacker’s confession
Tejraj Sharma, who stabbed Lokayukta Justice P Vishwanath Shetty, chose March 7 for the assault since the day fell on his birth star 'Vishaka Nakshatra'.
In a statement explaining the assault, Sharma said he was angry with the government officials who cheated him in the tender process by striking deals with a few contractors and awarding them the contracts.
He cited an example of the cheating in his confessional statement. Applying for a tender to provide desks to the Tiptur Government College, Sharma quoted Rs 3,910 per desk. Someone beat him to the tender.
When he checked with the college principal Kumaraswamy, he learnt that the contractor had supplied desks for Rs 3,300 per piece — Rs 610 less than his own quote. Through an RTI petition, he learnt that the contract was actually closed for Rs 3,890.
He was similarly disregarded for a tender to supply uniforms for government hostel students in Sira. He persisted with applying for tenders in the labour, education, social welfare, revenue, horticulture and other departments, but in all the cases he missed the contract by Rs 10 or Rs 30.
Sharma alleged that officials asked their preferred contractors to quote just Rs 10 less than he did because he was not giving them commissions.
He joined the movement 'Corruption Free Karnataka' and went on a padayatra from Maddur to Adichunchanagiri. He filed 18 complaints against eight government officials at the Lokayukta, but his petitions were dismissed without action.
He decided that Justice Shetty was in cahoots with the corrupt officials and wanted to teach him a lesson.
Sharma bought a knife at Chickpet's Sunday Market a month before the incident and fixed March 7 to assault Justice Shetty since it fell on 'Vishaka Nakshatra' day. The star was significant since it happened to be his birth star.
On the designated day, he entered Justice Shetty's chamber and told him that all his complaints had been disposed without action, to which the Lokayukta asked him to file an appeal. In a fit of rage, Sharma stabbed him four times with the knife he had bought.
Sharma's family migrated to Tiptur from Pali in Rajasthan 18 years ago. His father worked as a cook at a marriage choultry in Tiptur, but died six years ago. Sharma was the youngest of two brothers and a sister.
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