Karnataka police detained more than ten Hindutva activists on the morning of Monday, May 5, after they attempted to stage a protest at Hanumanthappa Circle in Chikkamagaluru. The protest was part of a bandh call given by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal, following the murder of Suhas Shetty in Mangaluru.
Chikkamagaluru town witnessed a partial shutdown, with several shops and business establishments choosing to remain closed in response to the bandh. Major commercial areas, including MG Road, Market Road, and IG Road, stayed shut past 10 am, though smaller shops in residential areas remained open.
The bandh also saw participation in other parts of the district, with shop closures reported in Mudigere, Kottigehara, Koppa, Sringeri, Kalasa, and NR Pura. However, essential services continued uninterrupted—buses and auto-rickshaws operated as usual, and government offices and colleges remained open.
In Kadur, Ajjampura, and Tarikere taluks, the bandh received little to no response. The district administration warned against forced closures, stating that strict action would be taken against violators.
Chikkamagaluru Deputy Commissioner Meena Nagaraj told the media that while some organisations had announced the bandh on social media, the district administration and police had not granted any official permission.
The protest was sparked by the killing of Suhas Shetty, who was hacked to death near the Bajpe bus stand in Mangaluru on Thursday evening, May 1. Suhas was the main accused in the 2022 murder of 23-year-old Mohammed Fazil in Surathkal. Fazil, a temporary cleaner at an HPCL bullet tanker, was murdered on July 28, 2022, in retaliation for the killing of BJP Yuva Morcha worker Praveen Nettaru on July 26 that year.
At the time, Mangaluru Police Commissioner N Shashi Kumar had stated that Suhas and five others had planned Fazil’s murder over three days, aiming to "kill someone" to avenge Nettaru’s death.