Tensions gripped Mangaluru city of Karnataka on Thursday night after a brutal mob attack led to the death of a Hindu activist, Suhas Shetty, in the Bajpe locality. The violent incident, which was caught on camera, has triggered concerns over law and order in the sensitive coastal belt of Karnataka.
According to reports, Suhas Shetty was travelling in a car with five friends when a group of six men intercepted their vehicle. The assailants, arriving in a pickup truck and a car, ambushed Shetty and launched a vicious assault using sharp weapons. Despite being rushed to a nearby hospital, Shetty succumbed to his injuries.
The Mangaluru police confirmed the attack and have registered a case at the Bajpe Police Station.
Authorities suspect communal motives behind the killing. Police sources revealed that his opponents have alleged his involvement in
the high-profile murder of Mohammed Fazil in July 2022. Fazil was allegedly murdered days after the brutal killing of BJP Yuva Morcha worker Praveen Nettaru by PFI-linked extremists.
It is also alleged that the slain Hindu activist, Suhas Shetty, was named in a few other cases and allegedly had a controversial past. While the veracity of the allegations should have been for the courts to decide, the mainstream media headlines reflect a seemingly gleeful expression overlooking the collapse of law and order situation in Karnataka. Rather than flagging the law and order crisis, several media portals have name called the deceased Hindu activist branding him as “Rowdy”.
The fresh killing of a Hindu activist has brought back the memories of 2022 when another Hindu activist, Praveen Nettaru was hacked to death by Islamists.
In light of the incident, prohibitory orders under Section 144 have been imposed in Mangaluru from May 2 to May 6 to maintain peace and prevent escalation.
BJP MP Nalin Kumar Kateel visited the hospital to pay his respects and called for immediate justice.
“This is a planned murder. We demand swift action and protection for the Hindu community in coastal Karnataka,” he said while speaking to the media.
The law and order under the Karnataka Congress dispensation has depriciated. The Karnatka police launched a manhunt to arrest and track down the assailants.
Throughout the ongoing probes, the killing of the Hindu activist has once again brought attention on Karnataka’s coastal regions’ communal fault lines.
