BENGALURU: Tejraj Sharma, the man who stabbed Lokayukta Justice P Vishwanatha Shetty, is said to be a member of Bhagat Kranti Sene in Tumakuru. His ideas of patriotism and assumption that the system was not doing any good to the nation led him to attack Justice Shetty. Investigations also revealed that Justice Shetty failed to asses the threat perception from Sharma, as even earlier he had engaged in arguments with the Lokayukta.
Sources privy to Sharma’s interrogation told The New Indian Express that questioning revealed that Sharma was a member of Bhagat Kranti Sene. “He said that he wanted the country to be free from corruption and maladministration. Hence, he repeatedly submitted petitions to the Lokayukta against officials who he though were corrupt.
But the response from the Lokayukta office was not meeting his expectations. In the five petitions he had filed, two were before Justice Shetty and both were closed without any action. Three others were before Upa Lokayuktas of which one was closed while two others were pending. This had left him disgruntled and he felt that even the Lokayukta was corrupt,” a police official said.
He waited for ‘auspicious Wednesday’
“A devout Sharma believed in astrology. As per him, Wednesday was an auspicious and lucky day for him. He was waiting for a Wednesday when there will be Vishakha nakshatra. As this Wednesday was one such, he planned to murder. He thought that nothing will happen to him as he was committing the murder on such a day,” an official said.
Justice Shetty did not sense the danger
Investigations also found that Sharma used to visit Justice Shetty frequently and engage in heated arguments with him over his petitions. “But Justice Shetty never considered Sharma to be a threat. If he were to be a bit cautious about him and alerted the staff or police, the murder bid would have been averted,” a source said.