One dead, 2 injured after unidentified people open fire at fishing party

HASSAN: One person died and two others were severely injured after some unidentified people opened fire at a group of people who had gone fishing in the Hemavati river at Tambalagere village in Yeslur hobli of Sakaleshpur taluk on Monday night.

The deceased has been identified as Naveen alias Pacchi (40), a resident of the Tambalagere village, while the injured are Dayananda and Padmanabha.

Superintendent of Police Hariram Shankar inspecting the spot. FSL team and Canine squad examining the place.

Naveen, Dayananda, Padmanabha and Rajachari had gone fishing at night in the Hemavati river. When they sitting in front of a bonfire near the river bank, some unidentified people opened fire at them. Naveen died on the spot while the other two sustained injuries. Naveen was an active BJP worker and had identified himself with the RSS too.

The deceased Naveen was an active BJP worker and was identified with the RSS too.

Director General & Inspector General of Police Praveen Madhukar Sood and district Superintendent of Police Hariram Shankar inspected the spot. The Yeslur police have taken up investigation but are yet to ascertain motive for the crime. A team of forensic experts collected evidence from the site.

The river bank where Naveen and others had gone fishing; (Right) Curious villagers gathered near the spot.

Speaking about the incident, SP Hariram Shankar said, “Around 8.15 pm, Naveen and three others had gone fishing. All of a sudden, about four to five small bullets hit Naveen when he was sitting. A FSL team came from Mysuru, considering the seriousness of the incident. We have questioned some villagers and it seems like an accident or misfiring by some people. We have already detained two persons and are questioning them. We will investigate all angles in the case”.

SP Hariram Shankar said the firearm might have been misfired by some unidentified people who came for hunting at night.

“There was a similar complaint filed against the victim for using a weapon. In the past, there were two other cases of misusing weapons for hunting. The villagers say Naveen and the others always used to go hunting. We will also check if there is any connection in his suspected murder with the party and organisations”, the SP told the media.

Local resident Thammegowda, said Naveen had no enmity with anyone.

Thammegowda, a resident of Tambalagere, said, “Naveen has no enmity with anyone. His father also died recently and he has two small children. He owned a tractor and a coffee plantation. According to those who accompanied Naveen, he was talking on the phone and the other three were standing on the river bank when a bullet hit Naveen. Rajachari, who was with them, claimed that two people, Anil and Kumar, had taken the gun of Nagaraj in a car and, after the incident, they returned it to the owner”.