Hubballi: A 63-year-old priest was brutally murdered in the Navanagar area of the city on Sunday evening. The deceased has been identified as Devappajja, who was a priest at the Vaishnodevi temple in Ishwar Nagar. Sources said he was stabbed in front of the temple by unidentified assailants.

Locals rushed him to KIMS Hospital, but he did not survive. It is reported that he had escaped unhurt in a previous attempt on his life. The motive for this murder is not yet known.