More details have emerged in the murder case of Suhas Shetty, a known rowdy sheeter and VHP activist from Karnataka's Mangaluru. He was also the prime accused in the high-profile Fazil murder case.
Tensions gripped the district after Suhas Shetty was murdered by an unidentified group late on Thursday within the Bajpe police station limits in Mangaluru City. The police have enforced a prohibitory order under section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita across the Mangaluru City Police limits from May 2 to May 6.
Also read | Who was Suhas Shetty, the murder that has put Mangaluru on high alert
How was Suhas Shetty killed?
According to police, six unidentified attackers, who reportedly came in a Swift car and another vehicle, ambushed Shetty's vehicle around 8.30 pm on that fateful night.
Shetty was believed to be travelling with five other accomplices, namely, Sanjay, Prajwal, Anvith, Latheesh, and Shashank. The gang members, wielding sharp swords and other weapons, launched a deadly assault on Shetty, who fell on the spot.
Video of the assault has been widely shared on social media platforms. A group of men could be seen launching a relentless assault on Shetty. He was rushed to AJ Hospital, but succumbed to his injuries.
{{/usCountry}}Video of the assault has been widely shared on social media platforms. A group of men could be seen launching a relentless assault on Shetty. He was rushed to AJ Hospital, but succumbed to his injuries.
{{/usCountry}}Police have registered a case at Bajpe Police Station, and multiple teams have been formed to track down the killers.
Also read | ‘Mangaluru is full of fear and tension’: BJP leader R Ashoka on Suhas Shetty murder case
KSRTC resumes partial bus services
The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) resumed partial bus services to mofussil areas and the state capital on Saturday. Transport in the suburban areas of Mangaluru remains suspended after their buses were stoned near the Pumpwell and Kankanady areas.
Won't tolerate communal forces, says minister
Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara and Dakshina Kannada District In-charge Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao held a high-level meeting with senior police officials in Mangaluru on Friday to discuss the tense law and order situation.
Parameshwara said on Saturday that eight people were arrested in relation to the murder and appreciated the police for not allowing communal tensions to grip the area after Shetty's killing.
“We will not tolerate any kind of communal forces. Our government is committed to maintaining peace in the area. We are actively investigating these incidents. We will establish an anti-communal task force, similar to our anti-Naxal force. This will be a separate wing with comprehensive authority to address communal activities and those who support them. We have instructed officers to take strict action against anyone who delivers provocative speeches or statements,” the minister said.
BJP seeks NIA probe
Shetty's murder in the communally sensitive coastal Karnataka has prompted the BJP to request that Union Home Minister Amit Shah launch a probe by the anti-terror National Investigation Agency (NIA).
“This incident is not an isolated one, it is part of a larger pattern of growing lawlessness, emboldened Islamic radicalism, and anti-national elements that continue to operate in the coastal Karnataka region. In recent years, we witnessed the targeted killing of Praveen Nettaru, a committed and selfless BJP karyakarta, by PFI activists, an organisation which was later banned by our government under the leadership of Sri Narendra Modi. Now another young Hindu life has been extinguished in a similar manner,” Dakshina Kannada MP Brijesh Chowta wrote in his letter to Shah.
(With inputs from agencies)