A day after the speech of Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Sharan Pumpwell, praising the murder of Mohammad Fazil, his father, Umar Farooq has asked for the arrest of the VHP leader. Submitting a memorandum to the Mangaluru Police Commissioner, Farooq said that Sharan Pumpwell knew about the plan to murder Fazil. He added that Pumpwell should be arrested and interrogated. Fazil was murdered in July 2022 in retaliation to the murder of a Hindu youth, Praveen Nettaru.
Speaking at an event organised by Hindu groups in Tumakuru, on Sunday, Sharan Pumpwell who is the provincial secretary of VHP, said that in retaliation to Praveen's murder, Fazil was killed in front of other Muslim youths. “We killed Fazil in public view in Surathkal. You must have seen the video of how brutally he was murdered. That is our power,” he said.
After submitting the memorandum to the commissioner, Farooq said, He knew about my son’s murder and he has openly said it in Tumakuru. I request you to arrest Sharan Pumpwell and further investigate my son’s murder.
“Sharan Pumpwell gave an open statement saying that Hindus killed Faazil. It wasn't Hindus, it was Hindutva,” Umar told the media. He added, “We've been asking who's behind Fazil’s murder for six months. Now we know, it was Sharan Pumpwell. If he has guts, let him come to me to fight. He is spoiling our village by communalising people. He is a rowdy. He is not a leader.” In a controversial speech, Sharan Pumpwell, a leader of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), claimed responsibility for the murder of Mohammed Fazil in Surathkal. The killing was carried out in retaliation for the murder of Praveen Nettaru, according to Pumpwell.
Pumpwell addressed the Shourya Yatra of the VHP and described the murder as an example of the power of the Hindu community. He also called for the need of a Hindu MLA in Ullal, citing the presence of terrorists in the area and concerns over the actions of workers from the banned Popular Front of India. He also called the National Investigation Agency to conduct searches to trace and address the alleged terror threat.
A series of communal murders had shaken Dakshina Kannada district last year, starting with the murder of 19-year-old Masood on July 19. This was followed by the murder of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha member Praveen Nettaru, which was retaliated by killing Fazil.