Bengaluru, Jul 23 (PTI) BJP MLA Byrathi Basavaraj was questioned for the second time on Wednesday in connection with the murder of rowdy-sheeter-turned-realtor, police said.

Basavaraj, named as the fifth accused in the case, was questioned for four hours and may be summoned again if needed, a senior police officer said.

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Shivaprakash alias Biklu Shivu (40) was hacked to death at Bharathi Nagar in the city a week ago, police said.

The MLA had earlier appeared for questioning on July 19, following a Karnataka High Court directive.

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Basavaraj has denied any involvement in the case and has moved the court to quash the First Information Report (FIR), claiming it was baseless. He alleged that his name was added without merit.

The victim's mother, Vijayalakshmi, also said she had not named the MLA in her initial complaint and alleged that police included his name on their own, raising doubts over the "FIR's validity".

Meanwhile, eleven people have been arrested so far, while efforts are on to trace the prime accused, Jagadish alias rowdy-sheeter Jagga, who remains absconding.

Special Public Prosecutor B A Belliyappa argued in court that Basavaraj may have influenced the complainant within 24 hours of the murder, possibly to seek anticipatory protection based on court orders.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)