Father, daughter hacked to death over property dispute in Belagavi

An elderly man and his daughter were hacked to death by his relatives over a property dispute in Kittur in Belagavi district on Wednesday.

Rudrappa Kundaragi, 67, an ex-serviceman residing in Dharwad, and his daughter Shashikala, 30, were killed on the premises of the gram panchayat in Avaradi village.

The police suspect that Rudrappa’s two brothers and his nephew attacked him with lethal weapons after he came out of the Gram Panchayat office. Rudrappa’s brothers, Sangappa and Basappa, and Basappa’s son Madiwalappa allegedly committed the offence. Shashikala, an engineer, tried to rescue him, but they attacked her too. The duo bled to death. Rudrappa’s driver also sustained injuries.

Rudrappa had come to the Gram Panchayat office to add his name to the Record of Rights, Tenancy and Crops (RTC), following a court order awarding him ownership of a house. However, the brothers had longstanding differences over the sharing of farmland.