Koppal (Karnataka), Oct 8 : A BJP leader was hacked to death by a gang in the Gangavathi area in Koppal district in the early hours of Wednesday. The deceased was identified as 31-year-old Venkatesha Kurubara, president of the Gangavathi town BJP Yuva Morcha.

Preliminary police investigation has revealed that personal rivalry was the reason behind the murder. Further investigation was underway.

According to police, Venkatesha was hacked to death in front of Leelavathi Hospital on Koppal Road around 2 a.m. The assailants arrived in a car. Venkatesha was returning home on a bike after attending a dinner party with friends at Devi Camp. The attackers chased his bike, rammed into it from behind, and then hacked him to death before fleeing the spot.

Friends of the victim, who witnessed the murder, told police that a gang of seven to eight members attacked Venkatesha with weapons and killed him. During the course of the investigation, police seized the car used by the killers from HRS Colony in Gangavathi town.

Family members and friends of Venkatesha have suspected the involvement of a resident named Ravi in the incident. They claimed that the two had been rivals for the past seven to eight years and had often clashed over asserting their leadership in Gangavathi town.

More details are yet to emerge regarding the incident.

Earlier, a 40-year-old BJP worker ended his life at an office in Nagavara, Bengaluru, where he was working on April 3. The deceased, Vinay Somaiah, allegedly posted a WhatsApp message before he took the extreme step, which the BJP Karnataka unit had shared on social media, alleging highhandedness of the Congress leaders. He has also alleged that the Congress leaders tortured him by filing police cases against him.

BJP had strongly protested, condemning the incident. BJP state President and MLA B.Y. Vijayendra had urged the Siddaramaiah government to conduct a fair enquiry to bring those responsible for the death of the BJP worker to justice.

/IANS