Bajrang Dal activist murder: 13 held for revenge murder conspiracy in Karnataka

Shivamogga police in Karnataka have registered a case against 13 people and arrested six of them for murdering non-hindu leader in revenge for Bajrang Dal activist Harsha's murder.

Shivamogga(Karnataka): Shivamogga police in Karnataka have registered a case against 13 people and arrested six of them for murdering Allauddin, the leader of another religion in the city. It was planned as a revenge killing for the murder of Hindutva activist Harsha in February, said the police as during the uproar of Harsha's murder, a journalist was assaulted and he had lodged a complaint with the police regarding this.

When the police started the investigation they came to know the fact that it was a planned murder to create the communal riots in the city. Shivamogga police arrested Vishwas alias Jaitley on April 13 when he revealed that he and his associates were involved in plotting to murder Alauddin. During the interrogation, all the 13 confessed that they had planned the murder.

Acting on the information, the police registered a case against 13 accused. The police arrested Rakesh, Vishwas alias Jaitley, Nitin alias Vasane, Yashwant alias Bangalore, Karthik alias Katte, Aakash alias Katte, Praveen alias Kulda, Suhas alias Appu, Sachin Royker, Sangeet alias Ditta, Raghu alias Bonda, Manju, Vishal alias Kootta. Sachin Royker, Bajrang Dal activist and secretary of the Harsha Charitable Trust, was also arrested.

All the accused arrested are residents of Kere Durgammana Keri in Seegehatti and all of them are Harsha's friends, who are currently being investigated by the police. "Their intention was to foment trouble by murdering another religious leader, Alauddin, in order to avenge the murder of a Harsha," SP Laxmiprasad said. Reacting to the development of this Harsha murder case, KPCC president DK Shivakumar said, "it was part of a conspiracy to create communal tension in Karnataka."

Harsha, 23, a tailor by profession and member of the right-wing Bajrang Dal, was killed by a group of youth on February 20 night. Following his death, several Hindu organisations staged protests in Shivamogga and demanded that strict action be taken against the culprits. There were incidents of violence, stone-pelting and torching of vehicles reported in the district while the slain youth's body was being taken to Rotary Crematorium at BH Road. A group of youth in the procession pelted stones at passing vehicles and even burnt some of them at OD road.