Vikram Gowda (46) was killed in an alleged exchange of fire between the ANF and a group of Maoists near Peetebailu village in Kabbinale area near Hebri of Udupi district.

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday appeared to justify the killing of Maoist leader Vikram Gowda in an encounter with the Anti-Naxal Force (ANF), noting that

In first such operation in the southern state in 13 years, the ANF of the Karnataka police gunned down senior Maoist leader Vikram Gowda during an encounter in the Kabbinale forests of Udupi district

Vikram Gowda, killed in an alleged encounter with the Anti Naxal Force (ANF) commandos late on Monday night, was a class 4 dropout from the tribal Malekudiya community, who grew to be a prominent Maoist leader.