Three back-to-back murders that have occurred in the communal cauldron of the Dakshina Kannada district of coastal Karnataka has changed the course of the lives of three innocent men caught in the crossfire between radical Hindutva and Islamic groups on account of their faith and associations.
The three killings in the span of 10 days – between July 19 to July 28 – seem to be symptomatic of the deep communal divisions in the society in coastal Karnataka, even as investigations are yet to reveal the full truth behind the three incidents. While tit-for-tat communal murders are commonplace in Dakshina Kannada the human pain that the communal divide causes become most apparent in incidents of violence with families of innocent men burdened with grief by mindless killings. The Indian Express spoke to the families of three victims Masood B, 19, Praveen Nettaru, 32, and Mohammed Fazil who were killed in the latest cycle of violence in the region in the last 10 days.
Masood B, 19: Four deaths in family in four months
Masood, a 19-year-old, one of four children in a family from Kasargod in Kerala, lost his father at the age of 12. After the death, the family moved into their grandmother’s house in Bellare – where Masood had to start working at the age of 16 to support the family.
Masood’s mother Saramma says she wanted to provide her son good education and so she put him in a school with a hostel. The death of her husband however forced her to pull him out of school in class nine because the family had no breadwinners and Masood and his elder brother Mirshad had to go out to work. Shoukath Ali, a relative of Masood said the family is reeling in grief after Masood’s death since there have been four back-to-back deaths in the family.
“First, Masood’s uncle who was young died and a few days later his grandfather passed away. In another few days, his cousin’s sister delivered a baby boy and we thought it would at least divert the grief that we were going through. But the baby lasted only for four days and died and now it’s Masood, said Ali.
Masood has a younger brother and a sister. Masood and his older brother Mirshad were working as laborers and painters to make ends meet.
Masood wanted to build a house and also wanted to educate his younger siblings but it all vanished in thin air, the relative Shoukhat Ali said. The brothers earned about Rs 15,000- Rs 20,000 to help the family live a hand-to-mouth existence.
“He was not even very aware of society. He lacked maturity when it came to things happening in society because the focus was always to earn a living. He even did not know about the political parties and their activism here. He usually never stayed at home but was traveling to places where there was work and he has been doing it since the age of 16. This past month was the first time he stayed at home for more than a month,” said Masood’s mother Saramma. Masood was nowhere connected to Sudhir or other members of a gang – which included members of a right-wing group – which eventually killed over a trivial fight.
Before the fateful day when Masood was grievously attacked, a small fight over touching of shoulders had taken place between Masood and a Bellare local Sudhir. According to Ali, on July 19, the duo had an altercation and Masood had come back home. Later, Sudhir and others asked Ibrahim Shanif, a friend of Masood, to bring Masood for a compromise meeting before a temple. “It is generally believed that there would be no violence in front of temples. As a consequence, Shanif who trusted Sudhir and his team took Masood to the temple but eight gang members assaulted Masood and hit him with a bottle. He died two days later in a hospital.
Praveen Nettaru – Aspiring BJP leader who was dreaming of building a house
Praveen Nettaru, a 32-year-old was the youngest of four children. He studied till Class 10 but had to abandon his education and take up the responsibility of looking after his family as his father, Shekar Poojary, suffered a massive heart attack.
At a young age, Praveen was attracted to Sangh Parivar activities and also worked for them. According to Ranjith, his cousin brother, in a way it helped him to build networks and contacts. This gave him confidence to run a business.
Praveen’s life has not been smooth ever since he was 17-years-old. While all of his sisters were married, his second sister returned home due to separation from husband. His sister Harini says, “he was the sole breadwinner for the family and three years ago, he married Nutana who works as a librarian.”
Praveen Nettaru’s residence. (Express photo)
Praveen who had toiled in various jobs including that of a cab driver was flourishing as a businessman after he started a poultry shop at Bellare and his wife was also earning. His dream was to construct a house in Nettaru but tragedy struck as he was cremated at the same place where he wanted to build the dream house.
After Masood’s death on July 21, there was tension in Bellare and surrounding areas which the police were aware of. Vittal Das who runs a general store next to Praveen’s poultry shop said that usually they shut down shops at 9.30pm but after Masood’s killing they were closing shops by 7.30-8pm as there was no public movement because of fear.
The murdered BJP Yuva Morcha leader’s cousin Ranjith said, “the local pro-Hindu activists fled the village after police informed them that there was a threat to their lives, ” said Shivaprasad, brother of Nutana.
Praveen worked in BJP Yuva Morcha and pro-hindu activities but no one imagined he would be a target because he was on good terms with Muslims in the locality. In fact he called up pro-Hindu activists and told them to be cautious.
Usually, Praveen’s wife Nutana who worked in Puttur used to go to the poultry shop to help her husband in the evening and both would return home together. But on the day of murder, Nutana went to Praveen’s sister’s house directly as there was a function. Praveen who was supposed to join the celebrations never made it as he was attacked and killed right infront of his shop.
Mohammed Fazil – A first generation MBA graduate in the family
Working in the Gulf countries for a better living is a dream for many in the coastal districts of Karnataka. Mohammed Fazil, a 23-year-old youth was no different. The second among three siblings Fazil was the first in his family to complete a post graduation course.
Fazil’s father Umar Farooq who is a cab driver does not own a car but has toiled as a cab driver to raise his children. Farooq’s monthly earnings are about Rs 20,000-30,000. “I am not an educated man. I wanted my children to study well and it has been a battle for me to provide a good education for my children. My elder son completed BSc while Fazil did MBA and completed a fire safety training program. My children are my only assets and nothing else,” Farooq says.
Fazil was known to be a humble boy who spoke very littel and was considered as an example to educate other youth. Despite the communal tensions in the coastal district of Dakshina Kannada Fazil’s family was on good terms with all. “I am a driver and people cutting across all religions have provided me employment and we always shared a cordial relationship. Even Fazil was never into any kind of activism or anything like my other children,” Farook said.
After his education Fazil engaged in small time work for his pocket money. “His aim was to go to the Gulf and he did small jobs like cylinder loading and unloading and other jobs for himself,” says his father.
While communal tensions simmered in the region over the last 10 days it had not affected the life of Umar Farooq’s family. But their lives were shattered on July 28 as four masked men attacked Fazil and hacked him to death while he was with his friend in the Surathkal town on the night of July 28.
“These murders and violence has to stop. My only request is that this should not happen to anyone, immaterial of religion. No father should go through the pain that I am going through,” says Umar Farooq.
(Reporting from Bellare)
The Indian Express spoke to the families of three victims Masood B, 19, Praveen Nettaru, 32, and Mohammed Fazil who were killed in the latest cycle of violence in the region in the last 10 days. (Express photo) 
Praveen Nettaru’s residence. (Express photo)
Share
