BJP youth leader murder: Karnataka police probe links to July 20 killing of Kerala youth

On July 19, Masood, 18, a daily-wage earner from Kasaragod in Kerala who stayed with his grandfather in Kalanje in Bellare for a month before his murder, was allegedly invited to a reconciliatory meeting by a local gang over a physical fight Masood had with a local a few days earlier.

According to a police complaint filed by Masood’s friend Ibrahim Sharif, a few days before the murder, a fight had occurred at a shop in the Vishnunagar area of Bellare between Masood and a local identified as Sudhir over a trivial issue of bumping into each other. Following the fight, Masood had reportedly threatened to attack Sudhir with a soda bottle.

On July 19, Sudhir’s associates allegedly asked Ibrahim to bring Masood to a reconciliation meeting. Around 11 pm on July 19, Ibrahim brought Masood to the meeting but Masood was allegedly attacked by eight people who were present in the Vishnunagar area where the meeting was convened. In the fight, Masood allegedly fell to the ground and was thrashed and hit on his head with a bottle by one of the accused.

According to Ibrahim’s complaint, Masood managed to run away from the spot. Around 1.30 am, Masood was found lying unconscious near the well of a local house. He was taken to a hospital in Sullia town and later to Mangaluru but succumbed to injuries.

Following Masood’s death, his family members staged a protest in Kalanje by refusing to move the body for the funeral until the accused were arrested. Based on Ibrahim’s complaint, the Bellare police on July 20 arrested eight local youth – Abhilash, Sunil, Sudhir, Shiva, Gym Ranjit, Sadashiva, Bhaskara, and Ranjith.

With a Kerala-registered motorcycle allegedly being used in the Nettaru murder, the Dakshina Kannada police are now investigating possible links with Masood’s murder.

Soon after the murder on Tuesday, the Dakshina Kannada police set up nakabandis on the border roads leading to Kasaragod in Kerala.

Police are also looking at the possible involvement of communal groups in Nettaru’s murder on account of the same modus operandi being witnessed in murders and attacks on Hindutva leaders in the past that were linked to the Popular Front of India (PFI).

In 2016, RSS worker Sharath Madivala was murdered at B C Road in the Bantwal region while he was alone at his dry-cleaning store. The murder that occurred during the tenure of the Congress party had led to violence during the funeral procession. It was seen as retaliation for the murder of SDPI worker Ashraf Kalayi that occurred in the communally divided region a few days earlier. The Dakshina Kannada police eventually arrested several people linked to the PFI in the Madivala murder case and people linked to the Bajrang Dal for the Kalayi killing.