Man held for murder of Karnataka BJYM leader suspected to be BJP leader

The main accused in the murder case of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) leader Praveen Kammar is suspected to be a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Raghavendra Patat was taken into custody after the police investigation found that he was involved in the fatal stabbing of Praveen Kammar during a religious fair in Kotur village of Dharwad district in Karnataka on April 18. Earlier, BJP leaders, including MP Tejasvi Surya and BJP’s Madhya Pradesh in charge P Muralidhar Rao had claimed that the killing was politically motivated. Tejasvi Surya, who is also the national president of BJYM, said that Praveen was killed by suspected political rivals.

An image of Raghavendra’s BJP membership has surfaced, stating his designation as BJP Dharwad Rural’s OBC vice president. Praveen’s brother also said that the accused was a member of the BJP, and photos have emerged showing Raghavendra Patat with Union Minister Pralhad Joshi and Dharwad's BJP MLA Amrut Desai.

Praveen was injured when he tried to break up an altercation involving four drunken youths including Raghavendra at the Udachamma Devi fair. He suffered injuries on his neck and abdomen and was rushed to the District Civil Hospital in Dharwad. He was later shifted to the SDM College of Medical Sciences and Hospital in Manjushree Nagar, where he succumbed to his injuries on April 19.

According to the police, the incident occurred at 10:30 pm on April 18, and Praveen was attacked by one of the groups involved in the altercation. The police had ruled out any communal angle in the incident. Three others have been detained by the police for questioning.