Slain Bajrang Dal activist a 'terrorist', claims foreign journalist; Karnataka DGP reacts

Karnataka DGP Pravin Sood refuted journalist CJ Werleman's claim that the Bajrang Dal activist killed in Shivamogga Sunday night was a 'terrorist' whose organisation was involved in attacks on Muslims in Tripura last year.

Bengaluru: Karnataka Police Chief Monday refuted a foreign journalist's claim that the Bajrang Dal activist killed in Shivamogga Sunday night was a 'terrorist' whose organisation was involved in attacks on Muslims in Tripuralast year. CJ Werleman, a journalist who also identifies himself as an 'activist against Islamophobia', tweeted: "A terrorist belonging to the Hindu extremist group Bajrang Dal, which carried out a wave of terrorist attacks against Muslims in Tripura in November, was killed in Karnataka - last night."

Karnataka DGP, Pravin Sood, refuted Werleman's claims and said the slain had no connection with terrorism or the Tripura violence. "This is absolutely false. There is no connection of death to either terrorism or Tripura," the DGP tweeted on his official Twitter handle.

Tripura violence

In October last year, workers of right-wing groups carried out attacks on minorities in Tripura in response to the violence against Hindus in Bangladesh. Workers of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), the parent organisation of Bajrang Dal, were accused of torching shops and vandalising a mosque in the north-eastern state.

A month later, a fact-finding team found that hardline Hindu organisations created anti-Muslim sentiment in Tripura leading to a mob attack on the minority community. The team of a group of Supreme Court lawyers and human rights activists in their report said that 12 mosques of Tripura, several shops and houses were damaged in the mob attack on minority community.

Tense Shivamogga

Harsha, the Bajrang Dal activist, was killed by "4 to 5" people in Shivamogga on Sunday night. While police have arrested at least three people so far, the killing triggered a wave of protests today in the district. Tensions prevailed as several Hindu organisations staged protests demanding that strict action be taken against the killers. 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.

READ:Bajrang Dal activist murder: VHP demands NIA probe, targets Muslims