CHIKKAMAGALURU: Wanted Naxal BG Krishnamurthy skipped his father Kanu Gopalaiah’s last rites as anti-Naxal forces, as well as the police, stepped up vigilance at various places like Bukadibail, Nemmar, Kerekatte, Mavinakadu including their house, as he was expected there.
Kanu Gopalaiah (81) of Nemmar Estate in Sringeri taluk passed away at his residence on Saturday after a prolonged battle with cancer. The police in mufti stepped up vigil around the house in Nemmar while ANF staff beefed up security, expecting the deceased man’s fugitive son to present himself at the funeral. They were disappointed after he did not show up at the cremation conducted late on Saturday.
Lawyer-turned-Naxal Krishnamurthy graduated from JCBM College in Chikkamagaluru and later studied law in Shivamogga. During college days, he led students and was subsequently “influenced” by Maoist ideologies.
When Kudremukh National Park was announced in the year 2000, he plunged into the anti-KNP agitation. When the struggle was at its peak, he got lured into the cause of local tribal folk, who feared eviction by forest authorities.