Belagavi: Man hacked to death in district, 7 held

A 23-year-old man was hacked to death by a group from a different community in Gokak town of Belagavi district and seven people were arrested, police said on Monday.

Following the murder of Santhosh Shanur, around 150 people belonging to the victim’s community gathered near the houses of the ten accused and pelted stones on Sunday. The situation remained tense the entire night. After police reached the spot, the crowd was dispersed after much persuasion and the situation was brought under control, police said.

Earlier on Sunday, a person named Maunesh was allegedly assaulted by the accused group. So, Shanur along with his friends went to the accused’s house to demand answers about their act. This led to an altercation between both parties, a senior police officer said.

During the quarrel, the accused group attacked Shanur with a sword and a knife. He sustained severe injuries and was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was declared brought dead, the officer said.

Following this, about 150 people gathered near the houses of the accused group and pelted stones. This led to tension in the area. When police teams reached the spot, they sought to address the concerns of the crowd and persuaded them to maintain peace.

After they were assured that the accused would be caught and punished, the crowd dispersed.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the victim and the accused shared rivalry and also had some financial disputes. However, things need to be further verified, the officer said.

Superintendent of Police (Belagavi) Bheemashankar Guled said, ”The situation is now under control. We have already nabbed seven accused. They have been arrested while efforts are being made to nab the remaining three who are still at large.” After the post-mortem, Shanur’s body was handed over to his family, Guled said, adding that the victim got married just 10 months ago and his wife is expecting.