Court delivers justice: College attender sentenced to life for 2015 murder

Sumesh Rajan

3 February 2025

 

Nearly a decade after a shocking crime rocked Bengaluru, the capital of the south Indian state of Karnatak, a local court has sentenced Mahesh K, a college staffer, to life imprisonment. The verdict marks the conclusion of a long-standing case that had remained a painful memory for the victim’s family and friends.

The Tragic Incident of 2015

On the night of March 31, 2015, Mahesh K, a resident of B Narayanapura and an attender at Pragati PU College in Kadugodi, entered the college hostel armed with a country-made pistol. In a brutal attack, he fatally shot a second-year pre-university (PU) student, Gowthami, inside her hostel room. He then moved to another room and shot her friend, Sirisha. While Gowthami succumbed to her injuries, Sirisha miraculously survived and later played a crucial role in the case.

Mahesh was on the run for two weeks before being apprehended by te police on April 14, 2015.

The Motive behind the Crime

During police interrogation, Mahesh claimed that he acted out of humiliation and resentment. The victims had objected to his frequent presence near their hostel room and allegedly ridiculed his position as a staffer when he tried to assist them with Common Entrance Test (CET) examination forms. Seeking revenge, Mahesh travelled to Munger, in the north Indian state of Bihar, where he illegally obtained a country-made pistol and ammunition for ₹ 15,000.

Verdict and Closure

After nearly ten years of legal proceedings, the Bengaluru court convicted Mahesh of murder and attempted murder, handing him a life sentence. The ruling finally brings closure to a case that had haunted the city for years, reaffirming the judiciary’s commitment to justice.

This case underscores the need for stricter campus safety measures and highlights the importance of creating secure environments in educational institutions to prevent such tragic events.



 

Comments