Maddur tense after JD(S) leader hacked to death

Supporters protest the killing of Thoppanahalli Prakash.

JD(S) leader Thoppanahalli Prakash (48), husband of former ZP president Lalitha, was hacked to death by miscreants in the town on Monday evening.

Prakash was an aide of Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and Transport Minister D C Thammanna.

After spending some time with his friends at the guesthouse here, Prakash left for the tender coconut market on the Mysuru-Bengaluru highway in his car. Miscreants waylaid the car and stabbed him several times. Prakash bled to death.

The murder created fear among the shopkeepers nearby, who downed their shutters. As soon as the news of the murder spread, JD(S) workers blocked the roads at Thoppanahalli, K Honnalagere and other places and staged a protest. They withdrew the protest after the police promised to nab the accused at the
earliest.

It is said that a murder attempt was made on Prakash earlier. Transport Minister Thammanna appealed to the JD(S) workers not to take law into their hands.

Supporters caned

Tension prevailed at Maddur town and Thoppanahalli village and on the Mysuru-Bengaluru highway, following the murder. Police resorted to lathicharge to disperse the protesters from the highway.

Police have tightened security and senior police officials, including IGP (southern range) Sharathchandra and Superintendent of Police Shivaprakash Devaraj, are camping in the town to supervise the bandobust arrangements. Forces have been brought in from Ramanagar and Channapatna.

It is said the murder is a fallout of a dispute over displaying flex banners for December 25 in the village.

Prakash’s supporters say police failed to take action, even though they were informed of the threat calls he was receiving.