K'taka: Hindu outfits call for bandh over Suhas Shetty murder, over 20 detained

Chikkamagaluru, May 5 (IANS) Karnataka Police detained over 20 Hindu activists in Chikkamagaluru on Monday as they attempted to take out a protest march condemning the murder of Hindu activist and a rowdy sheeter, Suhas Shetty (42) in Mangaluru.

The bandh was called by the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), Bajrang Dal, and other Hindu outfits.

The bandh was announced despite the denial of permission by the Chikkamagaluru district administration. In response, several shops and commercial establishments remained closed, although a few traders gradually began to reopen their shutters.

In Mudigere taluk and the border areas between Chikkamagaluru and Mangaluru, normal life came to a complete halt as shops and businesses remained shut. The bandh witnessed strong support in rural areas, with both the public and shopkeepers cooperating.

More than 20 Hindu activists, including BJP District President Devaraj Shetty, were taken into preventive custody while marching from Omkareshwara Temple to Hanumanthappa Circle, raising slogans in support of the slain Hindu activist Suhas Shetty.

Since no organisation had obtained prior permission for the bandh, the authorities enforced prohibitory orders. Chikkamagaluru city was placed under tight police security as a precautionary measure, given the region’s history of communal tension.

Despite the enforcement of Section 144 in Chikkamagaluru city, local organisations in rural areas reportedly continued with the bandh, overlooking law and order protocols.

Launching an attack on the Congress-led government in Karnataka, former BJP state chief Nalin Kumar Kateel, speaking to the media in Udupi, claimed that most ministers in the state government had served jail time.

“The government must answer whether all those in power are rowdies. There was no case registered against Suhas Shetty in the last two years. He had not been involved in any incidents. It is the court that must decide whether Suhas Shetty was a rowdy sheeter, not Home Minister G. Parameshwara. Suhas Shetty was murdered because he was a Hindu activist,” Kateel alleged.

“Anyone who comes forward to protect Hindus is being murdered. It has come out that a ‘target group’ has been formed, and they have started with Suhas Shetty’s murder. They must stop portraying Suhas Shetty as a rowdy and take appropriate action,” he demanded.

On the formation of a task force to curb communal clashes, Kateel said the government’s basic intent was flawed. “The task force has been created to arrest Hindu activists. Let them form an agency that delivers justice to all. The current task force is formed to protect just one community,” he alleged.

“Whenever Siddaramaiah comes to power, a series of killings of Hindu activists take place. Hindu workers are being targeted and attacked. No case is filed when someone waves the Pakistan flag or shouts 'Pakistan Zindabad', but Hindu activists receive death threats on social media. This is nothing less than terrorism unleashed against Hindus in the state,” he added.

Kateel also alleged that Muslim leaders caused a commotion during a meeting with Home Minister G. Parameshwara in Mangaluru, while local MLAs were denied an opportunity to participate.

--IANS

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