Hostile witness identifies butcher knife used in RTI activist Vinayaka Baliga murder
The hearing into RTI activist Vinayaka Baliga murder case has reached a decisive stage. Identifying of the butcher knife used in the murder, by the shop keeper who had sold it to the accused killers has made the case stronger. There are a total of 7 accused in the murder case, including NaMo brigade founder Naresh Shenoy who is the main accused. As the accused were very influential, major witnesses had given statements in their favour which had made the case weaker. The shop keeper who had sold the murder weapon had turned a hostile witness too. But S Balan, the special prosecutor has succeeded in bringing out the truth from these hostile witnesses by cross-examination in the court.
Shailesh, the 6th accused in the case, had bought the butcher knife from Bastikar Hardware in Kulur with an intention to murder Vinayaka Baliga. Police had included Devadas Shenoy, owner of the shop who had sold the murder weapon, as a witness in the case. “Accused Shailesh had purchased the knife at our shop. The knife confiscated by the police from the accused and the knife sold by me are one and the same”, Shenoy had stated during police enquiry. The statement was included in the charge sheet by the police and Devadas Shenoy was cited as the witness.
But Devadas Shenoy turned hostile in the court and denied selling the murder weapon to the accused. “I only sell building materials. The knife confiscated from the police is not from my shop. I haven’t seen the accused Shailesh [earlier]”, he had stated. As the case wouldn’t have stood scrutiny if the murder weapon was declared fake, the Special Public Prosecutor had requested permission with the court for a cross examination. After being permitted, the prosecutor conducted a long cross examination on April 24 which has been recorded in 8 pages.
In the crucial stage of the cross examination, witness Devdas Shenoy agreed that the police found 10-15 similar knifes in his shops while they paid him a visit during initial enquiry. He told the prosecutor that even though he didn’t know where these knives were supplied from, the price on their handles were written by his assistants in the shop, as directed by him and the price of the murder weapon confiscated by the police in 2016 was 200 rupees. The public prosecutor then abruptly opened the sealed cover of the murder weapon before the witness, showed him the price written on its handle as ‘Rs 200’ and asked him the estimated price of the weapon in the present day. Devadas Shenoy speculated it to be 240 rupees in the current market rate and stated that he had stopped selling such butcher knives from the previous year as he didn’t want to be a subject to future police enquiries. He agreed that the writing of the price in the handle of the murder weapon was done under his instruction at his shop, even though he didn’t exactly remember which of his assistants had done that. The court marked the statement as the witness had mentioned about the murder weapon and more importantly, had identified it.
RTI activist Vinayaka Baliga had been hacked to death on March 21, 2016 in Kodialbail of Managluru. DYFI and like-minded groups in the city had taken to the streets to protest against the murder, accusing that Vinayaka Baliga had been killed for bringing out the financial irregularities of the NaMo Brigade founder Naresh Shenoy. Police, who investigated the case, had arrested Naresh Shenoy and 6 other accused, and had filed a charge sheet in the court. When Naresh Shenoy was granted bail, he was welcomed by Chakravarti Sulibele outside the jail, which had created a controversy.
Amidst all the developments, S Balan was appointed as the government special prosecutor in the case. Devadas Shenoy, who had earlier given a written statement to the police that the murder weapon used to kill Vinayaka Baliga was purchased by the accused from his shop, had turned hostile in the court. “My shop doesn’t sell any knives. The knives confiscated by the police are not from my shop”, he had stated which helped the accused in the case. So Special Prosecutor S Balan had subjected the hostile witness to a cross examination, succeeding to ensure the authenticity of the murder weapon through the witness himself. As the process of identification of the murder weapon by the witness has been completed, Vinayaka Baliga murder case has reached a decisive end now.
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Kangana Ranaut shown black flags in Himachal's Lahaul and Spiti, BJP files complaint with CEO
Shimla, May 20: Actor Kangana Ranaut, BJP candidate from the Mandi parliamentary constituency, was shown black flags by local people and Congress workers at Kaza in Lahaul and Spiti on Monday.
The Himachal Pradesh BJP filed a complaint with the state chief electoral officer (CEO) demanding transfer of election officials and an investigation into the incident as both the BJP and the Congress were given permission to hold rallies adjacent to each other.
The Congress workers raised anti-Kangana slogans - "Kangana, go back, Kangana Vangana nahi chalegi". They were apparently enraged over her remarks on Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama in April last year.
Ranaut had tweeted a meme featuring the Dalai Lama that said, "The Dalai Lama receives a warm welcome at the White house". The photoshopped picture in the tweet showed the Dalai Lama sticking his tongue out with US President Joe Biden with a comment - Both of them have the same illness, definitely they could be friends.
Following this, a group of Buddhists staged a dharna outside her office in Mumbai.
Later she apologised saying she didn't mean to hurt anyone, and it was a harmless joke about Biden being friends with the Dalai Lama.
Leader of the Opposition in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly Jai Ram Thakur, who had accompanied Ranaut to Kaza to campaign for the BJP, on Monday alleged that the Congress workers tried to disturb the meeting of the BJP and pelted stones on their carcade while they were returning.
Talking to reporters, he said, "It is unfortunate that for the first time, permission was given to hold a parallel rally at the venue to the Congress where prior permission was already granted to the BJP to hold the rally.
Efforts were made to disturb our rally and the Congress workers raised shameful slogans, stopped our carcade and pelted stones, injuring one person."
Thakur added that they go for campaigning all over the state but such things have happened for the first time, which shows "frustration" of the Congress and they would take up the issue with the Election Commission.
Later, in a complaint filed with the Himachal Pradesh CEO, BJP state office secretary Parmod Kumar Thakur said the Congress workers allegedly tried to illegally restrain the political procession and even pelted stones and demanded an investigation into the incident.
"The district administration granted permission for organising a political meeting to the Congress adjacent to the place already scheduled to hold a political meeting of the BJP at Kaza under undue influence of the state government in utter violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC)", he said.
In the complaint, the BJP demanded the immediate transfer of election officials from Lahaul and Spiti and said giving permission to both the parties at the same location at the same time was a "big lapse" on the part of the Election Commission "in spite of the fact that permission to the BJP was provided first and the officers involved in this act are biased against the BJP, and free and fair elections are doubtful under the circumstances."
Lahaul and Spiti SP Mayank Chowdhary told PTI that workers of both the BJP and the ruling Congress came face to face but there was no clash and no person was injured. However, one worker sprained his leg, he added.
Bhishan Shashni, Congress election coordinator for Lahaul and Spiti claimed that the Congress workers were peacefully protesting but a large number of people, who were hurt by Ranaut's remarks about the Tibetan spiritual leader, joined the protest.
Earlier, Congress candidate from the Mandi Lok Sabha seat Vikramaditya Singh had asked why Ranaut did not visit Spiti and returned from Reckong Peo alleging that she was afraid she would be shown black flags for her remarks against the Dalai Lama.
