Daijiworld Media Network – Bengaluru (RJP)

Bengaluru, Nov 6: Office of the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) close to Vidhana Soudha witnessed high drama on Monday when a 45-year-old senior assistant walked into the office armed with a machete and attacked his female colleague for refusing his marriage proposal. He also attacked two other employees.

The accused, identified as Nataraj, attacked senior assistant Jayalakshmi (41) and two other staffers, Sarathi and Ramu, both second division assistants.

Police said the incident occurred at around 11.20 am, an hour after the office was opened.

The Vidhana Soudha police rushed to the spot and arrested Nataraj from the first floor of a multi-storey building.

Nataraj who is separated from his wife, reportedly proposed to the victim but Jayalakshmi, who is married and has a child, refused and started avoiding him.

Enraged by this, Nataraj reportedly decided to kill her and started arguing with Jayalakshmi. He then suddenly took out a machete and hit her on the right side of her head. He then attacked other colleagues Sarathi and Ramu who tried to intervene.

All three injured have been admitted to a private hospital where the condition of Jayalakshmi is said to be critical as she has sustained deep head and face injuries.

In his confession, Nataraj reportedly told the police that Ramu had spread rumours about his relationship with Jayalakshmi and he was upset as Jayalakshmi rejected his marriage proposal. He had decided to kill her and bought the machete from a market near his house.

Ramu, who suffered injuries on his hand and arm said," I was not on talking terms with Nataraj since the past one year as he had a fight with me over a trivial issue. I noticed that he had come to the office with a machete which was wrapped in a newspaper. I tried to escape but he came from behind and hit me twice."

A policeman on duty said that as he saw Nataraj coming to office everyday he did not check him while he entered the office.

A senior police officer said there is no surveillance camera at the premises of the KPSC and only two policemen along with security personnel from a private agency are deployed for duty. Soon after the incident came to light, senior officials including chairman of the KPSC held a meeting to ensure safety in the premises.

In a similar incident at the Lokayukta office about a year ago, retired justice Vishwanath Shetty was stabbed by a contractor Tejaraj.