Bajrang Dal activist murder: The Karnataka Police have arrested eight suspects in connection with the brutal murder of Hindu activist Suhas Shetty, a Bajrang Dal member, in the communally sensitive city of Mangaluru. The arrests come amid heightened tensions in the coastal Karnataka region following a spate of communal incidents.
Police sources revealed that five special teams were formed to track down the accused. The suspects were apprehended from various parts of Mangaluru district based on CCTV footage and digital evidence. The official announcement of the arrests is expected later today.
The murder took place in broad daylight, within close proximity to a police checkpoint. According to investigators, the attackers first rammed a goods vehicle into Shetty’s car and then hacked him to death with sharp weapons.
Communal Tensions Escalate
The killing of Shetty, a key accused in the 2022 murder of Mohammad Fazil — allegedly carried out in retaliation for the killing of BJP youth leader Praveen Nettaru — has further inflamed communal hostilities in the region. Multiple stabbing incidents have been reported from Mangaluru and Udupi following the attack, and the overall law and order situation remains volatile.
Adding fuel to the fire, Opposition Leader R Ashoka accused the police of tipping off Shetty’s killers. “He was warned not to carry weapons a week before the murder. How did this message reach his killers?” he asked.
Ashoka also claimed that the killers had issued threats on social media prior to the murder and celebrated the killing online afterward.
Demand for NIA Probe Grows
Union Minister of State Shobha Karandlaje and Mangaluru MP Captain Brijesh Chowta have both appealed to Union Home Minister Amit Shah to transfer the investigation to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), citing the involvement of banned outfits.
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Ashoka alleged the killers were affiliated with Popular Front of India (PFI) and Karnataka Forum for Dignity, both under the scanner for previous acts of extremist violence in the state.
BJP State President BY Vijayendra announced a compensation of Rs 25 lakh for Shetty’s family. Party MLC CT Ravi issued a stern warning, saying: “If police don’t act decisively, revenge killings will continue. There is no one willing to let Suhas Shetty’s killers go free.”
Home Minister Races to Mangaluru
Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara is visiting Mangaluru today to review the law and order situation. He is scheduled to meet top officials at the Mangaluru Police Commissionerate and assess the communal unrest brewing in the region.
Authorities are also probing possible links between Shetty’s murder and a recent mob lynching of a man from Kerala, Mohammad Ashraf, who was reportedly heard shouting “Pakistan Zindabad” during a cricket event in Mangaluru. The incident further added to the communal flashpoints in the region.
A Cycle of Revenge Killings
Suhas Shetty’s own criminal history is under scrutiny. He was the prime accused in the killing of Mohammad Fazil in Surathkal (July 28, 2022). That murder was allegedly in retaliation for the killing of Praveen Nettaru, a BJP worker murdered during the hijab controversy.
The coastal Karnataka region has remained a hotspot for communal flare-ups, with revenge killings, political tensions, and fringe group activities repeatedly challenging law enforcement.
With eight suspects now in custody, investigators are racing against time to build a watertight case. Calls for NIA intervention and central oversight continue to grow as coastal Karnataka teeters on the edge of communal unrest once again.
