Tension has gripped Karnataka’s Dakshin Kannada district after a local BJP worker was brutally hacked to death last night.
According to police, the motorcycle-borne killers attacked Praveen Nettaru, a member of the BJP’s youth wing Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, while he was returning home on his bike after shutting his poultry shop.
Local residents dialled police as the killers left Nettaru bleeding on the ground. Police rushed the 32-year-old man, his clothes drenched in blood, to a hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
The murder has sparked protests in Bellare and Sullia, with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad calling for a bandh. This morning, hundreds joined in as his body was taken to his home. Some right-wing outfits have alleged that Popular Front of India and Social Democratic Party of India are behind Nettaru’s murder.
District police chief Rushikesh Sonanay has said restrictions on public gathering have been imposed due to tension in the area. “Three assailants had come on a bike. We have information that the bike had a Kerala registration numver. We are scanning CCTV footage for clues,” he said.
Chief Minister Basavaraj S Bommai has strongly condemned the attack and assured a speedy investigation. He has said those behind the heinous act will be arrested soon and punished as per law.
Five police teams have been formed to track down the killers. Three of these teams have been sent to neighbouring Keral, and Madikeri and Hassan.
Home Minister Araga Jnanendra said the crime spot is close to the Kerala border and police are in touch with the neighbouring state’s police to make a headway into the probe.
Besides efforts to arrest the killers, the state government is also focusing on maintaining law and order, he said. “It is natural that there will be anger over losing a young man, but I request people to maintain peace,” the home minister said.
Security has been stepped up in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts to prevent any law and order situation. Most shops and hotes in the area are shut. Some schools have also declared a holiday in view of the tension in the area.
Nettaru was an active member of the Sangh Parivar and made his presence felt in social and political circles, said BJP district president Sudarshan Moodbidri. Local BJP leader Muralidhar Hamsatadka said they were in shock.
