Senior IAS officer Mahantesh Bilagi among three killed in tragic Kalaburagi accident
The officer and two relatives lost their lives when the car overturned while trying to avoid a stray dog near Jewargi, officials said
Kalaburagi mishap claims life of top bureaucrat and two family members
Managing Director of Karnataka State Minerals Corporation (KSMCL) Mahantesh Bilagi, a senior IAS officer, died in a fatal road mishap on Tuesday evening in Kalaburagi district. Two of his relatives, who were travelling with him, also died in the crash.
Police said the accident occurred in Jewargi taluk when the family was on their way from Ramadurg in Belagavi district to Kalaburagi to attend a family function. The car allegedly swerved sharply to avoid a stray dog near Gaunahalli, and the driver lost control. The vehicle hit the median and overturned around 5:30 pm.
Two passengers — Shankar Bilagi, 55, and Eeranna Bilagi, 53 — succumbed to their injuries on the spot. Mahantesh Bilagi was immediately shifted to a private hospital in Kalaburagi, where doctors pronounced him dead shortly after his arrival.
Born in 1974 in Ramadurg, Bilagi was a 2012-batch IAS officer reputed for his sincerity and clean administrative record. He served at several key positions, including Assistant Commissioner of Dharwad, Deputy Commissioner of Davangere, and Managing Director of BESCOM, before taking charge at KSMCL.
The sudden accident has left officials across the state shocked and distraught. Tributes flowed for Bilagi as colleagues remembered him as a committed officer, whose sudden death – along with that of two relatives – had left a gaping hole in Karnataka’s administrative circle.
