Police officers inspecting the vehicle that was carrying Mahantesh Bilagi and his relatives after the road accident near Kalaburagi on Tuesday.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Senior IAS officer Mahantesh Bilagi, who was Managing Director of Karnataka State Minerals Corporation Limited (KSMCL), died in a road accident near Gonahalli Cross in Jewargi taluk of Kalaburagi district on Tuesday evening.
Two of his relatives Shankar Bilagi and Eeranna Bilagi also lost their lives in the crash.
According to police sources, the 51-year-old officer was travelling from Ramdurg in Belagavi district to Kalaburagi to attend a family wedding when the accident occurred at 5.30 p.m.
Initial reports indicated that the car carrying the victims rammed a road median and overturned. The two relatives accompanying him died on the spot, while Bilagi, who suffered grievous injuries, was rushed to a private hospital in Kalaburagi.
Despite emergency treatment, he died of his injuries.
Bilagi, a 2012-batch IAS officer of the Karnataka cadre, hailed from Ramdurg.
Before taking charge as Managing Director of KSMCL, he served in several important posts, including that of Deputy Commissioner of Davangere and Managing Director of BESCOM.
Before joining the Civil Services, he worked as an English tutor in Dharwad.
Bilagi, as Deputy Commissioner of Davangere, focused on urban development and grievance redressal mechanisms.
As BESCOM Managing Director, he made efforts to streamline power supply management and address consumer issues.
The news of his death has sent shockwaves across the bureaucracy.
Senior officers, including Superintendent of Police Adduru Srinivasulu and District Health and Family Welfare Officer Sharanabasappa Kyatanal, visited the hospital soon after receiving information.
Published – November 25, 2025 08:57 pm IST
