As massive protests erupted in Karnataka's Dakshina Kannada following the murder of a BJP Yuva Morcha member, a video of a frenzied mob gheraoed the car of Dakshina Kannada MP Nalin Kumar Kateel has gone viral. The video shows protesters pushing the car of Kateel, who is also the state BJP president, and heckling him.
Several areas in Karnataka were rocked by protests after Praveen Nettar, a Zilla BJP Yuva Morcha committee member, was hacked to death in Bellare by three bike-borne miscreants on Tuesday night. Nettar, a resident of Nettaru in Bellare in Dakshina Kannada district, was killed when he was heading home after closing his shop.
Incidents of stone-pelting at government buses were reported from some places. A bus plying from Puttur to Mangaluru was damaged in the stone-pelting incident at Bolwar, PTI reported.
Police resorted to lathi charge to control the situation. Several people sustained injuries in the incident. The BJP has called for a bandh in Puttur, Kadaba and Sullia taluk on Wednesday in protest against the murder.
Police have registered a murder case at Bellare police station and have formed four teams to investigate and nab the murderers.
Union Minister Pralhad Joshi said initial reports suggested the hand of SDPI and PFI behind Praveen's death.
"Initial reports & some media reports indicate at SDPI and PFI links. They're being encouraged in Kerala. In Karnataka, Congress encouraging them. Our government in Karnataka will take action and bring culprits to book," ANI quoted Joshi as saying.
Condemning the killing, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai assured that the culprits involved in the "heinous act" would be arrested soon.
"The heinous murder of our party worker Praveen Nettar from Sullia in Dakshina Kannada is condemnable. Those involved in the heinous act will be arrested soon and will be punished as per law," Bommai tweeted.
The incident comes months after a 28-year-old Bajrang Dal activist was murdered in Shivamogga by a gang.