Karnataka BJP leader's murder: CBI to grill ex-Congress minister's aide

Bengaluru: The CBI will grill former Congress minister Vinay Rajashekharappa Kulkarni's personal secretary and Karnataka Administrative Services (KAS) officer, Siddu Nyama Gouda, in connection with the murder of BJP leader Yogesh Gowda.

The special Central Bureau Investigation team picked up the accused on Thursday from Gadag in Karnataka.

Sources said that the main accused in the case, Basavaraja Muttagi, will be summoned and questioned. Crucial information is expected to be revealed on the aspect of financing the Gowda murder.

The accused allegedly took care of all financial transactions of Kulkarni. The accused, Siddu Nyama Gouda, will be grilled throughout the day, they added. Siddu Nyama Gouda presently works as secretary of Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee in Gadag district.

BJP leader Yogesh Gowda was killed by unidentified men on June 15, 2016 outside his gym in Dharwad. Allegations soon surfaced against Vinay Kulkarni, who was the cabinet minister in the Congress government headed by present opposition leader Siddaramaiah.

Kulkarni was groomed by Siddaramaiah to muster the support of the powerful Lingayath community in north Karnataka region. Yogesh Gowda, a BJP Zilla Panchayath member, was said to have been challenging Kulkarni on his own turf.

BJP State unit made it an issue in the elections and Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa had vowed during his public rallies that Vinay Kulkarni would be sent to jail. Kulkarni was arrested on November 5, 2020 by the CBI.