Bengaluru, Aug 23: An incident in which a man was hacked to death in full public view at a traffic signal near the Madiwala underpass came to light on Sunday, raising fresh concerns over the safety of residents in Bengaluru.

The victim, identified as Suhail, a resident of Mangammanapalya and a medical shop owner, was attacked by a group of assailants as he was on his way from Madiwala towards Koramangala on Saturday night.

The incident occurred late at night when Suhail had stopped his motorcycle amid a traffic jam on the main road. Four men who arrived on two motorcycles allegedly attacked him with swords before fleeing the spot. Suhail suffered severe blood loss and died at the scene.

Police suspect that the murder could be an act of revenge linked to an earlier murder case in Bandepalya.

On January 13, a man named Shabbir was murdered in Bandepalya, and Suhail’s brothers Kaleem, Nazir and another brother were allegedly involved in that case. Investigators suspect that Suhail may have been targeted in retaliation, despite having no connection with the Shabbir murder case.

Police sources said Suhail had no criminal background and was not an accused in the earlier case. His murder is therefore suspected to have been driven by hostility towards his brothers.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (South East) Mohammad Sujeetha, CCB DCP Haribabu and Joint Commissioner of Police Ramesh Banoth visited the crime scene and inspected the spot.

Following the murder, Suhail’s younger brother Nazir reportedly arrived at the scene and vowed revenge. He said Suhail was not merely his elder brother but was like a father to him, and warned that he would not spare those responsible for his killing.

Police suspect that the assailants had been planning the murder for several days and had been closely monitoring Suhail’s movements. According to preliminary information, the attackers allegedly followed him and executed a pre-planned attack while he was travelling on his motorcycle.

After the murder, the assailants reportedly abandoned the weapons at the scene and escaped.

Three special teams have been formed to track down the suspects. Police have seized the CCTV DVR from the area and are examining footage to identify the attackers and trace their movements before and after the crime.

Investigators are also trying to establish why Suhail, who lived in Mangammanapalya and operated a medical shop in Bommanahalli, travelled towards Madiwala. Police are examining who last contacted him before he left the medical shop and other details surrounding his movements.

The brazen murder in a busy public area has triggered concerns over safety in the city, particularly as the attackers allegedly assaulted the victim in front of members of the public before fleeing the scene. Police are continuing their investigation to establish the exact motive and identify all those involved.

When asked whether any accused have been arrested in connection with the case, DCP South East Mohammad Sujeetha declined to comment. Further investigation is on.

Hyderabad, Aug 23: A town planning officer has been suspended after a 7-storey under-construction building collapsed in Hyderabad Madhapur, killing two people and injuring some others.

The building collapsed on Saturday. Cyberabad Municipal Commissioner G. Srijana issued orders on Sunday suspending Madhapur Town Planning Officer Santosh Kumar.

The Commissioner cracked the whip as the official failed to stop illegal construction, resulting in the loss of lives. Further action will be taken against the town planning officer following a detailed inquiry.

She directed the town planning department to immediately take steps to identify unauthorised constructions and take action.

Officials have been directed to demolish structures constructed without permission or violating the rules, endangering public safety.

An under-construction building collapsed in Anjaiah Nagar on Saturday afternoon, killing two people and injuring some others.

The victims were identified by police as Mahabat and Umesh, both from Madhya Pradesh. They had come to the site for tile-related work and were inside the building when it collapsed.

Rescue teams from police, fire services, Disaster Response Force and Cyberabad Municipal Corporation continued clearing debris for the second day on Sunday.

Officials are continuing to assess the structural damage to neighbouring buildings.

Meanwhile, Cyberabad police have registered a criminal case against building owners Farheen Siddiqi and Sajid.

On a complaint by the Cyberabad Municipal Corporation (CMC), a case has been registered at Raidurgam Police Station of Cyberabad Police Commissionerate.

The accused allegedly took up construction of the 7-storey building on 48 square yards without permission from CMC. They owned only 38 square yards and allegedly encroached 10 square yards of an adjoining drain to construct the building.

In another development, Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) has reportedly identified 10 unauthorised constructions in the same area and initiated steps to demolish them.

HYDRAA Commissioner A.V. Ranganath said on Saturday that many buildings in Anjaiah Nagar have been constructed without permission.

Locals said that all the buildings constructed by builder Sajid were like this. The HYDRAA Commissioner said that in a few days, all these buildings will be inspected and appropriate action taken.

Chennai, Aug 23: The ruling TVK is preparing an extensive strategy for the anticipated bypolls to seven vacant Assembly constituencies, with Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay signalling that alleged corruption files concerning the previous government could be made public during the campaign.

Seven of Tamil Nadu’s 234 Assembly constituencies — Tiruchi East, Perundurai, Madurantakam, Dharapuram, Ambasamudram, Karur and Viralimalai — are currently vacant. Byelections could not be held in Tiruchi East, Karur, Viralimalai, Perundurai and Ambasamudram because election petitions challenging the results in these constituencies are pending.

The Madras High Court’s stay preventing byelections in the five seats is expected to expire on August 24. The Election Commission is therefore expected to initiate the process of holding byelections in all seven vacant constituencies shortly.

Victory in the byelections is crucial for the TVK, which formed the government after the recent Assembly election without securing an absolute majority on its own. The party won 107 seats, falling 11 short of the 118 required for a majority in the 234-member House. It formed the government with support from Congress, which has five MLAs, and two legislators each from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Nadu Party, CPI, CPI(M) and Indian Union Muslim League.

Although the Congress party and two other allies are represented in the Cabinet and are unlikely to withdraw their support, the two Communist parties could reconsider their position if differences emerge over issues affecting the public.

Such a development could place the government under pressure. If the TVK wins all seven vacant seats, its strength will increase to 114, leaving it only four seats short of a majority.

The continued support from Congress or a combination of smaller allies would then ensure the government’s stability for its full term.

CM Vijay indicated the government’s campaign strategy during the Assembly session on August 19 when the Opposition demanded documentary evidence for allegations raised by Ministers.

The Chief Minister said the government possessed evidence relating to several sectors and that the relevant files were on his table. “I did not want to say this, but they are asking for evidence. Everything is on my table with proof,” CM Vijay said.

He added that the files would be opened “at the appropriate time”, before hinting that the disclosures could influence the forthcoming byelections.