Bajrang Dal worker murder: Police invoke UAPA against 10 suspects

Pressing charges under the UAPA against the accused in the murder of Harsha Hindu, 27, who had a criminal background, is being seen as a precursor to handing over the case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

“There is suspicion of a larger conspiracy behind the murder,” a senior state police official said. Provisions of the UAPA are generally invoked in cases where there is suspicion of a conspiracy to target national integrity. The UAPA gives the police custody of a suspect for 30 days, and 180 days to file charge sheet instead of 90 days in ordinary cases. The law also makes it difficult to get a bail.

Harsha was hacked to death by a group of men with whom he allegedly had a feud since 2016.

One of the 10 people arrested for the crime, Mohammed Kashif, 30, was in prison with Harsha in 2017. Several other accused who allegedly assisted him have multiple cases of assault, burglary and robbery against them.

Sources said the murder could be an outcome of a clash between Harsha and one of his attackers on the premises of a court around six months ago. However, police are looking into a larger conspiracy, especially considering that the crime took place in the midst of the hijab ban controversy. Harsha was allegedly involved in organising support for the ban on hijab at some colleges in Shivamogga.

“The accused are local criminals and there are serious doubts that they could have planned and executed the murder on their own,” a senior police officer said.

Shivamogga MLA and minister KS Eshwarappa and the Union minister Shobha Karandlaje had demanded an NIA probe. On Friday, Karnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra, however, said the state police will continue with the probe. The state police had invoked provisions of the UAPA in a few murder cases of right-wing activists in the past.

In 2016, when the Congress was in power, UAPA was invoked in the murder case of RSS worker R Rudresh days after the arrest of Bengaluru district president of the Popular Front of India (PFI).

In 2015, the Mysuru police pressed charges under the UAPA against one Abid Pasha, who had links with the PFI, after finding his alleged involvement in six murders. In 2020, the the UAPA was invoked in two of 67 cases registered in connection with rioting in Bengaluru over a social media post that hurt the sentiments of Muslims. The said cases where UAPA was invoked were later handed over to the NIA.

Harsha was murdered on the night of February 20 in the Doddapet police station limits of Shivamogga when he was out for dinner with a couple of his friends. The accused allegedly were waiting for him and hacked him to death. “It was a well-planned murder. All escape routes were blocked,” police sources said.