K'taka cops arrest 8 in Hindu activist's murder case; Anti-Communal Task Force to be formed
Mangaluru (Karnataka): Karnataka Police have arrested eight people in connection with the murder of Hindu activist Suhas Shetty, which occurred in the communally-sensitive city of Mangaluru. In a significant move to prevent further communal violence in the region, the Karnataka government has decided to form an Anti-Communal Task Force.
Minister for Home, G. Parameshwara, while addressing a joint press conference on Saturday alongside senior police officers and Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao — who is also the district incharge minister for Mangaluru — announced that the eight accused in the Suhas Shetty murder case have been arrested.
HM Parameshwara stated, 'The police department will provide more detailed information regarding the arrests. To prevent incidents of communal violence, an Anti-Communal Task Force will be set up to operate in the Mangaluru and Udupi districts.'
'The task force, which will be headed by an officer of Inspector General (IG) rank, will work to prevent communal violence in the coastal region and will begin functioning within two weeks. It will operate in coordination with the police department,' he added.
When asked about the arrest of two Hindu individuals in the Suhas Shetty murder case, Parameshwara declined to comment.
He further emphasised that strict action would be taken against those making provocative statements.
Referring to the recent mob lynching case in Mangaluru, where a man was allegedly attacked for chanting "Pakistan Zindabad," HM Parameshwara said, 'In connection with the murder of Kerala resident Mohammad Ashraf, the police have arrested 21 individuals. Action will be taken against the guilty. We will not allow anyone — regardless of religion — to break the law.'
He reiterated that such incidents must not recur in the region. 'I will not allow the law and order situation in the district to deteriorate,' he warned.
The police had formed five special teams to apprehend the killers. All the accused are being interrogated, and they were arrested from various locations within Mangaluru district. Investigators have obtained video footage of the incident, which helped in identifying and apprehending the suspects, sources said.
The Leader of the Opposition (LoP), R. Ashoka, alleged that a week before the murder, Suhas Shetty was warned by police not to carry weapons in his vehicle, and his vehicle was searched.
'How did this message reach the killers? If he had a weapon, he might have survived. The murder took place within half a kilometre of a police presence, yet no officer rushed to the spot,' Ashoka stated.
'A week before, the killers had put up a message saying Suhas Shetty will be finished. After the murder they had put up another message celebrating the murder,' he said.
Union Minister of State Shobha Karandlaje and Mangaluru BJP MP Captain Brijesh Chowta have appealed to Union Home Minister Amit Shah to transfer the case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
BJP State President B.Y. Vijayendra has announced a compensation of Rs 25 lakh for Suhas Shetty's family.
BJP MLC C.T. Ravi and other party leaders warned that if police fail to act, revenge killings will continue in Mangaluru. 'There is no one who has the mindset to let Suhas' murderers go free,' Ravi said.
Multiple stabbing incidents have been reported from the Mangaluru and Udupi districts in the coastal Karnataka region following Shetty's murder, and the situation remains tense and volatile.
According to the investigation, the accused first rammed a goods vehicle into the car in which Suhas Shetty was travelling. Then, a gang of assailants, who were following in a Swift car, emerged with weapons and brutally hacked him to death.
LoP R. Ashoka alleged that members of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) and the Karnataka Forum for Dignity were responsible for Shetty's murder.
Suhas Shetty was a Bajrang Dal activist and the prime accused in the murder of Mohammad Fazil, a resident of Surathkal. Shetty and his associates allegedly killed Fazil in a public place on July 28, 2022, in retaliation for the murder of BJP youth worker Praveen Kumar Nettaru.
Nettaru, a BJP activist from the same communally sensitive region, was hacked to death during the height of the 'hijab' row. His murder had triggered a series of revenge killings and multiple stabbing incidents across Karnataka.
Mangaluru also recently witnessed the mob lynching of a man from Kerala, identified as Mohammad Ashraf, who was allegedly heard shouting 'Pakistan Zindabad' during a cricket tournament.
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