Three men detained after father‑daughter killed in Belagavi Gram Panchayat office

What began as a routine visit to register land rights turned into a nightmare on September 18 in the quiet village of Avaradi, Kittur taluk, Belagavi district. Rudrappa Shivanappa Kundaragi and his teenage daughter, Shashikala, had travelled to the Gram Panchayat office to enter their names in a property register, as mandated by a court order.

According to the police, a heated argument erupted between the pair and three of their own kin – Basappa Shivanappa Kundaragi, Sangappa Shivanappa Kundaragi and Madiwalappa Kundaragi – over the same piece of land. The dispute quickly escalated; the three men allegedly brandished sickles and stones, striking the father and daughter repeatedly.

The brutal assault left both victims dead on the spot. A by‑stander named Rahul, who tried to intervene, was also slashed with a sickle and sustained serious injuries, but survived.

Local law‑enforcement, led by Superintendent of Police K. Ramarajan, formed a special investigation team that tracked down the suspects within hours. The trio was taken into custody on September 18, produced before a magistrate and remanded to judicial custody.

Authorities have lodged a case (Crime No. 228/2026) at Kittur Police Station, invoking sections 103(1), 109, 62 and 3(5) of the Karnataka Naxalites Suppression Act‑2023. The investigation team, comprising Circle Inspector Shivananda B. Gudaganatti and several PSI officers, continues to probe the motive and gather evidence.

While the community reels from the shock of such a violent act in a place usually associated with local administration, the swift arrest offers a glimmer of relief. The legal process will now determine the exact penalties for the accused.