Koppal, April 30: A local court in Koppal district, Karnataka, has sentenced six individuals to death for the murder of Venkatesh Kurubara, a leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s youth wing (BJYM). The verdict was delivered on Thursday by Judge Sadanand Nagappa Naik.
The convicted individuals have been identified as Ravi, Vijay, Dhanraj, Bharat, Salim Mohammad Rafiq, and Gangadhar Gauli. In addition to the death penalty, the court imposed a fine of ₹300,000 on each of the accused.
Venkatesh Kurubara was murdered on October 7, 2025, due to personal enmity, an incident that caused significant unrest in political circles. The accused allegedly conspired to carry out the murder in a brutal manner. Police had arrested 12 suspects and filed a 927-page charge sheet in the case.
Earlier, the court acquitted Karthik, Dadapeer, Mohammad Altaf, Mallikarjun, Akkiroti Sharan, and Chaitra.
Prior to the verdict, tight security measures were implemented around the Koppal court premises, with all six convicts brought to court under heavy police protection in two separate vehicles.
During the trial, the court recorded statements from 83 witnesses, with government prosecutor Nagalakshmi representing the prosecution.
The incident occurred when Venkatesh was returning home with friends after attending a religious event around 2 AM. A gang attacked him by ramming their car into his motorcycle and assaulted him with swords and iron rods, dragging him to the roadside where he was brutally murdered.
Eyewitness Ramu reported that the attackers first threatened and chased them before launching the assault on Venkatesh. It is believed that the accused attempted to flee to Bengaluru but abandoned their car due to a flat tire.
Koppal SP R.L. Arasiddhi stated that the murder was linked to a police case from 2003, where Venkatesh had assisted in the arrest of the accused, leading Ravi to harbor a grudge against him. Venkatesh’s father, Humpanya Jantakal, revealed that Ravi had threatened his son via WhatsApp in 2024.
A case was registered at the Gangavati police station, but due to fear, Venkatesh often changed locations to stay with friends.