MANGALORE: Doubts are being raised over the statement made by Shivaram Bhandari
of Uppala that the cops have committed atrocities on him and have forced him to admit
that former minister Nagaraj Shetty was behind the suspicious death of Rajappa, the
gardener in Shetty’s farm at Panjikallu. Already, three cops have been suspended on the
charges of committing atrocities on Shivaram Bhandari.
The suspicion at present is that Bhandari was stating that the cops were forcing him to
admit Shetty’s involvement in the case, may be out of pressure or influence of money
power.
Even the visit of State Home Minister VS Acharya to the hospital in order to meet
Shivaram is viewed as a ploy to hush up the mystery that pervades this entire case.
Rajappa who was working for Nagaraj Shetty in his various farms, had been working
at the Panjikallu farm for two years along with Shivaram Bhandari but was found dead
suspiciously on the night of October 2, 2008. At the outset it was found that Rajappa
had doused himself in diesel and had set himself ablaze. But there were no signs of him
rushing around to save himself. A packet of ganja had also been found in his pocket.
Though it was believed to be a case of planned murder, police who failed to bust the
mystery behind it, registered it as a case of suspicious death.
But Bhandari had left the place within a few days and had joined some other work at
Kasargod.
Meanwhile, Nagaraj Shetty who had assured compensation to Rajappa’s family, finally
had washed his hands by just providing Rs 50,000. On the other hand Dalit leaders had
been pressurizing the police department to reinvestigate the case and accordingly, SP Dr
Subrahmanyeshwara Rao had ordered for a probe.
Bantwal inspector Nanjundegowda who had taken up the case had subjected Shivaram
Bhandari to thorough interrogation during which Bhandari had reportedly divulged that
Nagaraj Shetty had a role to play behind the murder. But this proved a head ache to the
cops who might have reportedly committed atrocities on him to admit that he himself was
responsible for the murder and also not to mention Nagaraj Shetty’s name.
They, it is learnt, had also got Shivaram treated by a doctor and had then sent him along
with BJP leader and Nagaraj Shetty’s confidante Govind Prabhu.
Prabhu, meanwhile, had left Bhandari upto the bus stand. Shivaram who got admitted to a
hospital in Kasargod the next day had issued a statement that the police had tortured him
and forced him to admit Nagaraj Shetty’s involvement in the murder.
The question here is will the police who pressurized Bhandari to admit that Nagaraj
Shetty was behind the murder, send him along with Nagaraj Shetty’s confidante Govind
Prabhu? Another question is why Prabhu sent Bhandri home all alone instead of
complaining against the police.
According to sources, Bhandari was made to issue the statement that the police tortured
him to admit Shetty’s role in the murder, by luring him with a cash of Rs 10 lakh. It is
also learnt that the injury in the neck which was not present when Bhandari was admitted
to Kasargod hospital was seen when he was admitted to AJ Hospital. Even Home
Minister Acharya who visited the hospital has assured to bear his treatment cost.
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