CBI investigators on Thursday detained Vinay Kulkarni, a former minister in the Congress government, for the murder of a BJP panchayat member in Dharwad in 2016. Vinay Kulkarni was excise minister in the Siddaramaiah government.
The Hindu reported Vinay Kulkarni was taken to the Dharwad Town Police Station for questioning. His brother, Vijaya Kulkarni, is also being questioned.
The case against Vinay Kulkarni relates to the killing of Yogeeshgouda Goudar, a BJP zilla panchayat member. Goudar was hacked to death at his gym in Dharwad in June 2016.
The B.S. Yediyurappa government handed over the case of the killing of Goudar to the CBI. In September 2016, the CBI registered an FIR against six people and unknown others over the killing of Goudar. In March this year, six people were arrested in connection with this case.
In June this year, the CBI's preliminary charge-sheet in the case called Goudar's murder as politically motivated.
The murder of Goudar had been attributed to a property dispute. Goudar's brother had made allegations against officials who had reportedly threatened him.
The News Minute reported "the CBI suspects that Vinay Kulkarni allegedly hired men to kill Yogesh Gowda and that he was allegedly involved in intimidating eight witnesses in the case back in 2017”.
“We have reason to believe that eight witnesses in the case were intimidated at the behest of Vinay Kulkarni. Our investigation found that four of them were taken to Rashi farm house in Dharwad, one person was taken to Goa, and three were taken to Ramya Residency Hotel in Dharwad in 2017 and were threatened to remain quiet about the murder. We are questioning Vinay Kulkarni about this,” a source was quoted as telling The News Minute.
