In what looked like a road accident, an RTI activist was murdered in Bangalore. Post mortem studies indicate that Venkatesh mas murdered by assailants. Venkatesh had been instrumental in using RTI to save land from lank mafia in Bangalore.

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In a shocking incident, an RTI activist who had succeeded in saving government property worth crores of rupees from being encroached by land sharks died under mysterious circumstances near Bangalore University’s Jnana Bharathi campus on Monday night. The man has been identified as 48-year-old Venkatesh, a resident of Hosahalli in Vijayanagar.

He was found lying near Papireddypalya Circle around 9 pm with injuries on the head. Passersby, who saw him bleeding, shifted him to a private hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. As Venkatesh and his two-wheeler were found on the road in Kamakshipalya traffic limits, the traffic cops suspected him to be a victim of a road accident. But the bike did not have any damage. His body was sent to Victoria Hospital for autopsy and that is where the case took an intriguing turn.

The doctors who conducted the post mortem refused to buy the police theory of road accident and said the death had been caused because of an assault. “There were two L-shaped injury marks on the back of his head and it suggested that sharp-edged weapons had been used to attack him. These were deep-cut injuries,” said sources in Victoria Hospital.

Though the hospital is yet to give its report, the preliminary observations and inferences have not only shocked the family but have also left the police head honchos baffled. “It looks like a killing for vengeance, we will investigate further,” a police officer said.

The officer who is reconstructing the sequence of events that resulted in murder said: “Venkatesh was returning on his two-wheeler after collecting rent from his tenant when he was intercepted by the gang. They assaulted him and escaped. While he was lying on the road, two persons shifted him to Hosmat.”

The police have now begun to dig deep into Venkatesh’s activities and the threats he had received. According to close friends of Venkatesh, one of the motives behind his murder could be crusade against land sharks. “He was using RTI to ferret information pertaining to encroachments and was filing cases against land sharks in the courts and Lok Ayukta’s office. This had angered a lot of people,” one of his friends said. In fact, sometime ago he had made a representation to the Jnana Bharathi police stating that there was a threat to his life.

Six months ago, Venkatesh had been instrumental in saving BDA property worth Rs 35 crore. He had obtained documents from BDA by applying the RTI Act to prove the actual ownership. Subsequently, the property was recovered. Similarly, he was trying to save a huge tract of land near Srigandhakaval from being occupied by private parties.

In a twist to the tale of RTI activist Venkatesh’s death, the postmortem report has contradicted the police’s claim that he died in an accident.

The body of Venkatesh, 49, was found on Nagarabhavi Main Road on Monday night. The autopsy reveals it was murder. The deceased was instrumental in BDA’s recovery of encroached land worth over Rs 30 crore. Jnanabharati police, after inspecting the body and spot, had concluded the death was due to a road accident. There were said to be cut injuries on the neck and the case was transferred to Kamakshipalya police station, with recommendation to register a case of accident.

The postmortem report released on Thursday revealed Venkatesh was hit with a blunt weapon on the head before being assaulted on the neck with a sharp one.

HE HAD MANY ENEMIES
As an RTI activist, Venkatesh had developed enmity with many people. Police said he was building a house in Nagarabhavi, behind the house of a water supply businessman. The land that BDA recovered is said to have been encroached upon by this man’s brother.

Moreover, Venkatesh had quarrelled with his brothers and moved to his inlaws’ place, sources said. He exposed many misdeeds in the area, earning the wrath of the land mafia.

Additional commissioner of police (law and order) M R Pujar said the issue has not come to his notice. “I will look into it and if the post-mortem report says it is murder, we will register a fresh case and investigate.”

- Compiled by Vishal Kudchadkar, Manjunath Sharma and other RTI volunteers and activists.