Belagavi hate crime: Protests erupt over delay in arrests

Members of one of the groups that took part in the protest said that president of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, Asaduddin Owaisi, will arrive in Belagavi to take part in the protests, if police action is delayed.

Several groups in Belagavi on Monday held a protest against police inaction in the suspected case of hate crime in the district, where a 24-year-old Muslim was found decapitated on a railway track. The protesters demanded that police must arrests the culprits by Wednesday or they will intensify their protest.

Officials of the Belagavi rural police said that the investigation of the hate crime is underway. (REUTERS)

Members of one of the groups that took part in the protest said that president of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, Asaduddin Owaisi, will arrive in the city to take part in the protests, if police action is delayed.

Six days after the gruesome murder of Arbaz Mullah, police are yet to make an arrest in case. The decapitated body of Mullah was found on the railway tracks in Khanapur in the border district, about 505 kms from Bengaluru, on September 28. While police had initially registered a case of unnatural death, they later filed a murder case after a post-mortem report revealed injuries on the head.

Laxman Nimbargi, superintendent of police, Belagavi district and Raghavendra Suhasaa Inspector General of Police (Northern Range) were not available for comments. Officials of the Belagavi rural police said that the investigation is underway. “The case was transferred from railway police to local police on Sunday itself. We are investigating the case,” said an official, who didn’t want to be named.

In her complaint to the police, the mother of the deceased, Nazeema Mohammad Sheikh, alleged that her son, who was a car dealer, was killed by the family and relatives of a Hindu woman he was in a relationship with.

Sheikh claimed the two families were aware of the relationship and also alleged the role of two members of a Hindu right-wing group in the murder. Based on her complaint, police booked three persons, including the girl’s father, for murder (section 302 of Indian Penal Code).

“We knew about the relationship and I had spoken to the woman’s mother to ensure she doesn’t meet him. I also told my son not to meet her. I shifted from Khanapur to Azam Nagar in Belagavi with my son. But the two continued to meet, and we started getting threats from her family and relatives,” Sheikh said.

A relative of the deceased alleged that the woman’s family roped in members of Sri Ram Sene who, on September 26, who reportedly threatened the man.

“They called him to Khanapur where he took his phone and deleted the woman’s photos. They also demanded money from him for a settlement. He then sold his (Volkswagen) Polo car for ₹90,000 to pay them,” the relative said, seeking anonymity.