Tension prevailed in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka, after the murder of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) member Praveen, who was hacked to death on Tuesday evening, July 26, by unidentified people on a bike. Hindutva groups called for a bandh in Puttur, Sullia and Kadaba taluks. Amid the calls for bandh, Section 144 of the CrPC has been imposed in Puttur taluk in Dakshina Kannada district on Wednesday and Thursday. The order is effective from 6 am on July 27 to 12 am on July 28. As per the order, gatherings of five or more people in public places are prohibited. All sorts of gatherings including protests and rallies are banned.
Praveen Nettaru, a BJP youth worker, was attacked with a long knife by bike-borne assailants as he closed his shop on Tuesday evening in Bellare village in the district's Sullia taluk. The attack occurred amid tension in Sullia, following the July 19 attack on a man named Masood in Kalanja village by a gang of eight people. Kalanja is also within the jurisdiction of the Bellare police station. Masood succumbed to his injuries two days later at a private hospital in Mangaluru. Hindutva groups have claimed that Praveen was targeted as revenge for Masood's death.
Incidents of stone-pelting at government buses were reported from some places. A bus plying from Puttur to Mangaluru was damaged in the stone-pelting incident at Bolwar. Meanwhile, the body of the deceased BJP worker was taken in a procession in an ambulance to Nettaru by activists of Sangh organisations. Hundreds of young activists belonging to various Hindu organisations have gathered at Bellare shouting slogans "we want justice". Police had to resort to lathi charge on the unruly mob following instances of stone pelting.
Hindutva groups have also expressed unhappiness with the ruling BJP government in Karnataka over the BYJM worker’s murder. State President of BJP Nalin Kumar Kateel and Dakshina Kannada district in-charge V Sunil Kumar were traveling towards Praveen’s native place, when their car was gheraoed by BJYM workers. The crowd was seen pushing the vehicle to register their protest over the Yuva Morcha member's death. They also shouted “Down down BJP” before the police dispersed them using lathicharge.
Protesting crowd surrounds, heckles car ferrying BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel and Dakshina Kannada district-in-charge Sunil Kumar in Bellare village. BJP leaders were there to pay respects to party youth worker Praveen Nettaru who was murdered yesterday. pic.twitter.com/mhorYybMpM
— Prajwal (@prajwalmanipal) July 27, 2022
V Sunil Kumar, Karnataka Minister and Dakshina Kannada district in-charge, condemned the brutal murder and stated that he spoke to the home minister and that the state government will take the issue seriously. The district superintendent of police has been directed to submit a detailed report of the incident to the home minister as soon as possible and to form teams to arrest the perpetrators.
Rishikesh Sonawane, Dakshina Kannada superintendent of police, told PTI that investigation into the Yuva Morcha member’s murder is underway. In response to a question about the possibility of the assailants being from Kerala, he said the police are looking into several possibilities. The assailants who attacked Praveen are believed to have been on a Kerala registered motorcycle when they hacked him.
Mangaluru Congress MLA UT Khader has also condemned the murder of BJP member Praveen and demanded that the perpetrators be apprehended as soon as possible. According to Khader, recent events have demonstrated that anti-social elements and murderers have no fear of the law or the government, while the general public lives in fear.