Bengaluru, July 18 (IANS) The Karnataka Police issued a notice to Bengaluru MLA Byrathi Basavaraj on Friday, directing him to appear before the investigating officer in connection with the rowdy-sheeter murder case.

Basavaraj, a senior MLA representing the K.R. Puram Assembly constituency in Bengaluru, has been named as the fifth accused in the FIR. Police sources have confirmed that he has been asked to appear before the authorities within 48 hours.

The preliminary investigation has revealed that MLA Byrathi Basavaraj had links with the main accused in the murder case, Jagadish. The police have found that the main accused was in regular contact with the MLA, sources confirmed.

The case took a dramatic turn on Thursday when the mother of the deceased claimed that she had never mentioned the name of MLA Byrathi Basavaraj to the police and did not know how his name was included in the FIR.

Reacting to the development, Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara stated on Friday in Bengaluru that the complainant had insisted on naming the BJP MLA as an accused in the murder case. “The complainant forced the police to include his name. Now, she is claiming that she never mentioned the BJP MLA’s name to the police,” he said.

The police have issued a notice to the BJP MLA, and he is required to cooperate with the investigation. When asked about rumours regarding police involvement in the murder, Parameshwara said that nothing can be confirmed at this stage and that everything will come to light during the investigation.

Commenting on the development and criticising the ruling establishment, the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, R. Ashoka, said, “The Congress government is trying to suppress opposition MLAs. In the rowdy-sheeter Biklu Shiva murder case, his mother Vijayalakshmi has stated, ‘I did not file a complaint against Byrathi Basavaraj; the police themselves added his name’. This proves the extent to which the Congress government has stooped in using political vendetta in this case, ” Ashoka slammed.

The Karnataka Congress party leaders who constantly allege that the Central government is misusing CBI, IT, and ED to target opposition leaders must now explain — “how is it justifiable to deliberately register an FIR against an MLA when his name is not even mentioned in the complaint?” Ashoka questioned.

“The Congress government must shed its illusion that it can intimidate BJP MLAs by foisting false cases against them. The BJP does not protect any criminals. If there are allegations, let the investigation be conducted as per law and let it be proven in court. But if the government continues to pursue such vendetta politics and target opposition MLAs, we will be forced to launch an intense agitation against it — this is a warning,” Ashoka stated.

Byrathi Basavaraj was once a close associate of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah before joining the BJP. His younger brother, Byrathi Suresh, is currently a close aide to CM Siddaramaiah and serves as the Minister for Urban Development and Town Planning.

Basavaraj has been booked under murder charges and named as the fifth accused in connection with the killing of Shivaprakash alias Biklu Shiva, who was hacked to death in front of his residence. The Bharatinagar police in Bengaluru have registered an FIR against the MLA, naming him as the fifth accused. The complaint was filed by the victim’s mother, Vijayalaxmi, police had said.

–IANS

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