Sindhanur Police booked nine persons for auctioning panchayat members and electing four unanimously in Hosalli EJ village in Sindhanur taluk of Raichur district and arrested the accused on Monday.
The police action came after Election Nodal Officer and Taluk Panchayat Executive Officer Baburao Rathod lodged a complaint, sources said. A video of the open auction of members went viral on the social media following which the officer visited the village and conducted an inquiry before lodging the complaint, the sources added.
Papayya Durgappa Nagarahal, Sharanayya Amarayya, Mallikarjun Gurubasayya, Hanumanth Parasappa, Nalla Ashok Krishnamurthy, Durugappa Basappa Amaji, Vijay Bhaskar Achhayya, Subbarao Ramarao Yalamati and Yankappa Huchhappa have been booked under Sections 171 (H) (F), 188 of Indian Penal Code and Section 22 of Karnataka Gram Swaraj and Panchayat Raj Act.
These persons conducted the open auction and elected Muttayya Karabasayya, Parasuram Master, Yamanappa and Narasappa Hampayya unanimously for ₹ 10 lakh to be paid by them for the development of a Durgadevi temple in the village, it was said in the complaint, according to the police.
