Bengaluru, June 9 (IANS) The Karnataka BJP on Saturday welcomed the Central Government’s decision to hand over the sensational murder case of Hindu activist Suhas Shetty to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
The Ministry of Home Affairs issued an order in this regard on Saturday. The Karnataka BJP unit had vehemently demanded an NIA probe, alleging that the Congress-led government in Karnataka was hushing up the case.
Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka and State President B.Y. Vijayendra had questioned why the investigation officers had not yet bothered to investigate the role of burqa-clad women at the crime scene, who allegedly helped the accused escape in their vehicle. Ashoka further suspected the role of police department in the murder.
He had alleged that information about the movement of Suhas Shetty was given out by the police department.
Welcoming the decision, BJP State President Vijayendra stated on Sunday, “Responding to the plea of the coastal people, our Central Government’s decision to hand over the Mangaluru Hindu activist Suhas Shetty murder case to the NIA investigation is a welcome step. For this, I express my gratitude to the Central Government.”
“The brutal murder of Suhas Shetty on a public road occurred with the intention of creating an atmosphere of fear among the Hindu community in the coastal region,” he stated.
“When the investigation of this case was being misled under the Congress led government’s governance, and the hopes of the family members awaiting justice were dwindling, the Central Government’s decision to hand it over to the NIA has instilled hope that the murderers will be punished and the conspiracy of anti-national forces will be exposed,” he emphasised.
Through the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to deal with the communal strife in the coastal region of the state, operations aimed at appeasing Muslims are being carried out, specifically targeting Hindu activists and darkening the future of Hindu youth in the coastal region. In this regard, the police system is being used to target Hindu activists and BJP workers, creating an unavoidable situation where the BJP will have to launch a large-scale protest, Vijayendra stated.
The order by the central government stated, “The Central government has received information regarding the Suhas Shetty murder case by Karnataka police under sections 189 (4), 191 (2), 191 (3), 126 (2), 109, 118 (1), 103 (1), 61 (1), 351 (2), 351 (3), 190 of the BNS Act and Sections 3 (1), 25 of the Arms Act. The case relating to attack on Suhas Shetty on May 1, while he was travelling in a car along with few others, by one Safwan with 8 other persons and the attack resulted in critical injuries to Suhas Shetty and others. Suhas Shetty subsequently succumbed to death in hospital, the order says.
The order further stated: “And whereas, in this case Sections 10 read with 41, 13, 15, 17, 18 and 20 of the UA (P) Act 1967 (Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act) are attracted, as it is related to targeted killing of an individual in public view with the intention to create terror in the minds of people and the accused persons involved in the case are allegedly members of Popular Front of India (PFI), an unlawful organisation.”
“In view of the above, the Central government is of the opinion that Scheduled Offence under the NIA Act, 2008, has been committed in the instant case and having regard to the gravity of the offence, the national ramifications as well as the need to unearth the larger conspiracy, it is required to be investigated by the NIA,” the order states.
It can be recalled, the murder of Suhas Shetty, which followed a case of mob lynching of Mohammed Ashraf in Mangaluru for allegedly raising Pakistan Zindabad slogan, created strife in the communally sensitive coastal region of the state. Suhas Shetty was the main accused in the Mohammad Fazil murder case. Fazil was killed to avenge the murder of BJP leader Praveen Kumar Nettaru at the height of the hijab crisis in the Mangaluru district.
–IANS
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