The Indian Express ·
Karnataka ex-Army man, daughter hacked to death over property dispute
According to the police, the ex-Army man's brothers questioned why he was seeking a share of their father's property after selling the agricultural land, which they believed was part of the family’s common property.
A 67-year-old former Army serviceman and his daughter were allegedly hacked to death inside a gram panchayat office in Karnataka’s Belagavi district on Wednesday afternoon over a property dispute, the police said.
According to the police, Rudrappa Kundargi and his daughter Shashikala, 26, an engineer, were allegedly attacked with an axe and sickle by his brothers — Basappa Kundargi and Sangappa Kundargi — and a nephew when they reached the panchayat office in Kittur taluk in connection with documentation and verification related to the division of a property that belonged to his father, who died three years ago.
The relatives allegedly came to the panchayat office after learning that Rudrappa was there.
Shashikala was attacked when she tried to intervene in the scuffle, the police said. The driver who had accompanied Rudrappa sustained serious injuries and has been hospitalised, said an officer.
A court had recently ordered that the property be divided equally among his three sons.
K Ramarajan, Belagavi Superintendent of Police, has confirmed the double murder was linked to a property dispute.
Police sources said they have detained two accused, while efforts are underway to recover the weapons allegedly used in the attack.
Differences over ancestral property share
A senior police officer said the immediate dispute appeared to have stemmed from differences over Rudrappa’s share of the ancestral property.
“Rudrappa had earlier sold an agricultural property that was registered in his name, but he continued to seek his share in his father’s property. His brothers questioned why he was seeking a share after selling the agricultural land, which they believed was part of the family’s common property,” the officer said.
The police are also examining whether differences in the brothers’ financial circumstances contributed to the dispute. The officer said Rudrappa was a former Army serviceman and his children were engineers, with one settled in the US, while his brothers depended primarily on agriculture.
According to police, the brothers allegedly felt that Rudrappa and his children were financially better off and therefore should not claim a share of the ancestral property.
A murder case has been registered at Kittur police station, and further investigation is under way.