Two men were arrested on Thursday for allegedly killing a Bharatiya Janata Party youth wing leader on July 26, reported NDTV. They have been identified as Zakir and Shafiq.
Praveen Nettaru, the Dakshina Kannada district secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, was hacked to death by two unidentified bike-borne assailants. The attack took place as he was closing his poultry shop in Bellare village in Sullia taluk of the district.
Protests erupted against the Karnataka government and several BJP youth wing leaders resigned, saying that the state government had failed to protect the lives of party members. On Wednesday, protestors threw stones and attacked the car of BJP state unit chief Nalin Kumar Kateel when he was on his way to visit Nettaru’s family.
The police suspect that the two arrested have links with the Popular Front of India. “But we are investigating those links and also their motives,” said Additional Director General of Police (law and order) Alok Kumar.
Earlier in the day, Home Minister Araga Jnanendra had also said the government suspected that the Popular Front of India and Social Democratic Party of India could be linked to Nettaru’s killing.
He added that the state government was thinking of banning the Popular Front of India and Social Democratic Party of India, adding, however, that it cannot be done on the basis of one incident.
On the protests, Jnanendra said that the outrage among BJP members was expected.
“He [Nettaru] was a very good person and a loyal party worker,” the minister said. “BJP workers have dedicated their lives to the country. We will manage our party workers.”
Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday said the state government will form a commando team to find the assailants who killed Nettaru, reported ANI.
Bommai said that the commando team will go after “anti-national and terror groups” who were conspiring to disrupt the peace and create communal tensions in the state.
Meanwhile, as tensions prevailed in the area, security arrangements were beefed up in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts.
Authorities have also imposed Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code prohibiting the gathering of four or more persons in Puttur taluk on Wednesday and Thursday. The prohibitory orders will be in force till midnight of July 28.
District Superintendent of Police Rushikesh Sonanay has said that five special teams have been formed to arrest the accused persons.
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