Shoot-out politician is a justice dispenser

Krishnappa wields influence over several villages along the Bangalore-Mumbai highway, and is known to settle disputes

Krishnappa wields influence over several villages along the Bangalore-Mumbai highway, and is known to settle disputes

The politician injured in yesterday's sensational shoot-out had hired a gunman only recently.

BEML Krishnappa, being treated at Harsha Nursing Home in Nelamangala, got himself a gunman after the murder of JD(S) worker Devendrappa in the highway town earlier this year.

Devendrappa was related to Bettanagere Seena, who is fighting a gang war with his cousin Bettanagere Shankara. Devendrappa was murdered in March this year.

Lucky escape: Krishnappa, whose agile reflexes saved his life in the shootout, takes calls from his hospital bed

Well known

Known across about 20 villages near Nelamangala, Krishnappa owns a petrol station near the town bypass.

Krishnappa was earlier in the Congress, and switched loyalties to the Janata Dal when he ran into differences with party leaders about election tickets.

Nelamangala is the first big town after Peenya on the Bangalore-Mumbai highway, and real estate is booming in the area. Many suspect a real estate dispute provoked the attack on him yesterday.

u00a0Police are aware of the real estate mafia and their gangwars but can do little to curb them.

Town bandh

The attack led to a spontaneous shutdown of the town. "People are tense and won't talk to strangers about it," a resident of an adjoining village told MiD DAY over the phone.

The police nabbed Harsha and Yatish shortly after the shootout. Yatish had bullet injuries and Harshau00a0 had earlier broken his leg when his tipper instead of hitting Krishnappa's Santro collided with au00a0 truck.

Harsha, Devendrappa's son is said to have masterminded the killing to avenge his father's death. He believed Krishnappa played a vital role in his father's murder.

Krishnappa enjoyed enough influence and respect to be able to settle disputes among village panchayat members.u00a0u00a0

Nelamangala used to be a Congress stronghold, but the JD(S) has slowly gained presence in the last couple of years. The party now holding sway is the BJP, and Nagaraj, the MLA representing Nelamangala, is from that party. The parliamentary constituency (Chikballapur) is represented by central law minister Veerappa Moily, who won over his BJP rival by a thin margin.

How it happened
Krishnappa and his gunman were cruising along in a Santro yesterday when a tipper and a truck tried to crush it. The alert driver averted the crash but lost control of the car which turned turtle. Several armed men took advantage of the situation and opened fire at Krishnappa, who retaliatedu00a0 with his revolver. Krishnappa and a critically injured assailant, Yatish, are in hospital. Harsha, also in hospital with a broken leg, is under strict vigil.