Six held, no communal angle in Yuva Brigade member murder, say cops

Police arrested six people in connection with the murder of a 32-year-old member of a Yuva Brigade during Hanuman Jayanthi celebrations on July 9

Bengaluru

Six people arrested over murder of Yuva Brigade members on July 9. (Representational Image)

Six people were arrested in connection with the murder of a 32-year-old member of Yuva Brigade, a right-wing organisation, during Hanuman Jayanthi celebrations on July 9 , officials said on Tuesday.

The Mysuru district police arrested the two of the accused – Manikanta alias Kole Mani and Sandesh – on Monday and the others – Anil, Shankar alias Thuppa, Manju and Harris – on Tuesday, officials privy to the developments said.

According to police officials, the victim, identified as Venugopal Nayak, a resident of Srirampura Colony in T Narasipur town, participated in a Hanuman Jayanti programme along with others on Sunday. However, during the procession, a scuffle broke out between two groups over a trivial issue, which led to the murder.

Mysuru district superintendent of police Seema Latkar said that the clash occurred between members of the same community, adding that there was no communal angle behind the incident. “According to preliminary investigation, two reasons may have caused the murder. One possible reason might be the issue over parking vehicles, and the other iover the flex board of late Sandalwood actor Puneeth Rajkumar. The murder occurred near Haris Service Station. There is no communal angle behind the incident.”

Meanwhile, the state BJP has set up a fact-finding team, led by national general secretary C T Ravi, along with MP Pratap Simha, MLAs C N Ashwath Narayan and T S Srivatsa, among others, to investigate and “ascertain the truth”. The teams will submit its report to Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah after the ground investigation.

“The teams will also hold a press conference once we get the report. We will also raise the issue and protest to end such kind of violence in the state,” a party member said.

However, one of the accused is said to be the brother of a BJP corporator in Mysuru City Corporation, officials in the know of the developments said on Tuesday.

BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal also condemned the incident. “The murder of Yuva Brigade activist Shri Venugopal is a testimony to the ongoing anarchy in this state. The police department should not do the job of protecting the accused and there should be an investigation as to who is behind the plot to kill Venugopal, who was active in the activities of Hindu organizations and of Hanuman Jayanti. Reveal which political party background the accused belong to and whose lackeys they are,” Yatnal said.

The deceased’s wife, expressed anguish over his death. “Those accused of killing Hindus for trivial reasons should be hanged. If my husband’s murderers get out of jail in three or six months, my daughter and I will hang ourselves to death,” she told mediapersons on Tuesday.

“I belong to the Kuruba community. My husband belongs to Nayak community. The two of us fell in love and got married. We have lived together for the last seven years. The accused should be hanged,” she added.

Hindutva activist Chakravarti Sulibele, the chief of the ‘Yuva Brigade’, a right-wing organisation, visited the taluk hospital and expressed his condolences to the family. On Tuesday, Sulibele alleged that Mysuru district in-charge Minister HC Mahadevappa’s son Sunil Bose is behind the murder of Nayak.

Tension prevailed in T Narasipur on Monday, as pro-Hindu groups took out a march to protest against the murder, amid elaborate security arrangements by the police. The pro-Hindu groups protested at the KR Hospital mortuary in Mysuru, where Nayak’s body had been brought for postmortem, demanding the government to announce a ₹25 lakh compensation and a government job to Nayak’s wife.