A sitting BJP legislator and former minister has been named in a murder case after a man with a criminal past was brutally killed outside his home in Bengaluru’s Halasuru area.
Shivakumar, also known as Biklu Shiva, was attacked late on Tuesday night when five unidentified assailants arrived in a car and struck him with sharp-edged weapons. The incident occurred near Halasuru Lake as Shiva stood outside his residence. He succumbed to his injuries on the spot.
Police officers, including Joint Commissioner Ramesh Banoth and Deputy Commissioner D Devaraj, visited the crime scene soon after the attack.
Shiva’s mother, Vijayalakshmi, lodged a formal complaint following the murder, resulting in the registration of a case under relevant sections. Among those named in the FIR is BJP MLA Byrathi Basavaraj, who represents Krishnarajapuram and formerly held a ministerial post in the Karnataka government. It has been alleged that the legislator abetted the murder.
Police sources said the deceased had written a letter to the Bengaluru Police Commissioner three months ago, accusing Basavaraj and his aide Jagadish of attempting to forcibly acquire his real estate holdings. The letter, now in the possession of investigators, suggests a long-standing dispute involving threats, extortion, and political interference.
In the letter, Shiva had claimed: “They have also tried to extort money from me by threatening to falsely accuse me of illegal activities in order to create legal troubles that would prevent me from developing or utilising the land. I have been under constant pressure to sell my property to them at prices far below market value.”
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He further alleged that Jagadish had several criminal cases against him, but “his name was struck off the history sheet due to the MLA's intervention.”
Shiva’s letter painted a grim picture of land grabbing practices in Bengaluru East. “Their activities involve the forcible taking of possession and use of political and illegal means to prevent rightful landowners from accessing or developing their properties,” he wrote. He accused Basavaraj and his associates of manipulating government machinery and police officials to enable the alleged operations.
He had also sought protection from the authorities, warning that if anything were to happen to him, Basavaraj and his aides—Jagadish, Kiran and their network, would be responsible.
“With both my hands folded I am before your good-self requesting you to instruct the jurisdictional Police Inspector to register FIR against Sri. Byrathi Basavaraj, Sri. Jagdish @ Jagga, Sri. Kiran and their associates/rowdy/goonda elements for threatening, extortion, land grabbing/mafia, criminal trespass and criminal conspiracy, among other offences,” the letter reads.
Police confirmed that an FIR had earlier been registered against Jagadish following Shiva’s complaint. However, a court stay had subsequently put the case on hold.
The investigation into Shiva’s murder is ongoing. Authorities are now examining the political and land-related allegations made in his earlier letter as a potential motive.
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