Gram panchayat chief’s spouse bites off political rival’s ear, held

TUMAKURU:

Shettigere gram panchayat president’s husband

, who had partially bit off the ear of his political rival during an altercation three days ago, was arrested on charge of attempted murder on Saturday.

Paramesh, is the husband of Shettigere gram panchayat president Nagamani.

Police saidhewas miffedwithfellow

JD(S) activist and gram panchayat member

Jagadish Babu

over the installation of a surveillance

camera inside the panchayat office

.

Paramesh and Jagadish, both supporters of Chikkanayakanahalli MLA C B Sureshbabu, have been at loggerheads for some time. Babu has been charging Paramesh with acting as the defacto panchayat chief and was taking unilateral decisions withouttaking other GP members into confidence.

On Thursday night, a verbal dual broke out between the duo when Babu demanded

installation of a CCTV camera

to check graft at the office and to end Paramesh’s interference in the administration. The tiff turned physical with each of them raining blows at the other. In the melee, a portion of Babu’s ear was bitten off by Paramesh. Soon, Jagadish picked up the severed part of his ear and rushed to nearby hospital, where doctors stitched it back.