K.R. Puram MLA and former minister Byrathi Basavaraj was detained on Thursday by Devanahalli police in a significant blow to the opposition BJP in Karnataka. The detention took place at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) soon after the legislator landed on a flight from Ahmedabad.
The move comes on the heels of the Supreme Court ruling to dismiss Basavaraj’s anticipatory bail plea earlier today. The MLA, who had been untraceable for days and facing imminent arrest, was said to have opted to surrender before the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in the same breath.
But officers, under Devanahalli ACP Harsha, intercepted him at the airport as he exited the terminal from Indigo flight 6E683. Case Background (Case: Murder of Biklu Shiva). The case is linked to the vicious July 15, 2023 murder of V.G. Shivaprakash, also known as Biklu Shiva, a former rowdy-sheeter. The case was triggered by a long-drawn dispute over a prime piece of land in Kittaganur.
Based on the investigation: Biklu Shiva was intercepted by an armed gang and hacked to death using lethal weapons. A formal complaint was lodged by the victim's mother naming several perpetrators, including the high-profile MLA. Byrathi Basavaraj has been named as Accused Number 5 (A5) in the FIR.
Investigations suggest that there was a connection between the MLA and the prime accused, Jagadish (A1), about the disputed site. Legal Dispute and Detention. For months Basavaraj has sought legal protection from arrest. On appeal, after lower courts combined with the High Court refused to give him relief, he approached the Supreme Court.
When the Supreme Court refused to grant relief, the legislator's legal options were exhausted. After he was apprehended at the airport, Basavaraj was subsequently taken to the CID headquarters in Bengaluru. Sources said that he will be under a compulsory medical examination tonight.
The CID is projected to hand him to a magistrate tomorrow, and to have him taken into custody by remand applications for further questioning. Political Implications. The arrest of an MLA in office and senior BJP leader of its Bengaluru unit has ignited a political firestorm.
The BJP camp has often branded the hunt for Basavaraj as "political vendetta," and while party leaders have hailed this as a victory for "unbiased investigation." The focus of the investigation to this day is expected to focus on the alleged financial transactions between the MLA and the hitmen involved in the Kittaganur land dispute.
