Close on the heels of questioning Vijay Kulkarni, younger brother of the former Minister Vinay Kulkarni in Bengaluru two days ago, officials of the Central Bureau of Investigation questioned another Congress leader Hanumanth Koravar in Dharwad on Wednesday in connection with the investigation of the murder of BJP leader Yogeeshgouda Goudar.
According to sources, CBI sleuths questioned Mr. Koravar at the Dharwad Suburban Police Station for close to three hours.
Subsequently, the sleuths approached a local court and filed an application under Section 195A of Cr.PC, which is required to seek permission to file a separate FIR. It is learnt that the CBI is likely to file the separate FIR containing the charge of issuing a threat and tampering with evidence against a few persons in connection with the case.
Following a plea by the elder brother of Yogeeshgouda Goudar, Gurunathgouda, the case was handed over to the CBI for investigation. Mr. Gurunathgouda has made several allegations against top officials and a former Minister saying that they met him seeking a truce and even issued a threat to him. He had also alleged that a few persons had tampered with evidence connected to the case.
Yogeeshgouda Goudar, then a zilla panchayat member from the BJP, was hacked to death in his gymnasium in Dharwad in June 2016. BJP leaders had demanded a CBI inquiry then alleging the involvement of Congress leaders, including Mr. Vinay Kulkarni. While the then Congress government declined to hand it over to the CBI, the BJP government handed the case over to the CBI after coming to power.
