(MENAFN- IANS) Bengaluru, July 16 (IANS) BJP MLA Byrathi Basavaraj, responding to the Karnataka Police booking him under murder charges, has clarified that he had no connection with the case, in which he has been named as the fifth accused.

Speaking to the media in Bengaluru on Wednesday, MLA Basavaraj clarified that he had been deliberately implicated in the case. "I don't know the person who was hacked to death, nor do I know those who killed him," he stated.

"I don't even know the person who lodged the complaint. Can the police register an FIR just because someone files a complaint and makes false allegations?" he questioned.

"I came to know about this development only after seeing media reports. I have been booked in a case with which I have no connection. I will take legal action to get my name removed from the FIR," Basavaraj added.

He also stated that he would speak to Home Minister G. Parameshwara regarding the matter.

Byrathi Basavaraj represents the K.R. Puram Assembly constituency in Bengaluru. He was once a close associate of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah before joining the BJP.

His younger brother, Byrathi Suresh, is currently a close associate of CM Siddaramaiah and holds the Urban Development and Town Planning portfolio.

Senior BJP MLA and former Minister Byrathi Basavaraj was booked on murder charges in connection with the killing of a rowdy sheeter. The Bharatinagar police in Bengaluru have registered an FIR against the MLA, naming him as the fifth accused in the case.

The complaint was filed by Vijayalaxmi, the mother of the murdered rowdy sheeter, Shivaprakash alias Biklu Shiva. Shivaprakash was hacked to death in front of his residence on Tuesday night.

According to police sources, Shivaprakash had earlier lodged a complaint against Byrathi Basavaraj, alleging that the MLA's associates had threatened him in connection with a land dispute. He claimed they were pressuring him to cancel the GPA (General Power of Attorney) and hand over possession of the disputed land to them.

Shivaprakash had reportedly submitted video evidence of the alleged threats made by the MLA's associates while filing the complaint.

The FIR is registered under Sections 103 and 190 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against MLA Byrathi Basavaraj and others. Other accused named in the FIR include Jagadish (34), Kiran (33), Vimal (36), and Anil (34). Police stated that more individuals are suspected to be involved and will be added to the FIR as the investigation progresses.

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