A 30-year-old man, Suhas Shetty, who was a main accused in a murder case, was hacked to death in Bajpe on Thursday night, May 1.
Suhas was the prime accused in the murder of 23-year-old Mohammed Fazil. Fazil was killed in retaliation to the murder of BJP youth wing worker Praveen Nettaru on July 26, 2022.
Police said Suhas had five criminal cases against him, including two murder cases, within Mangaluru city and Dakshina Kannada district limits. He had been convicted in one case, acquitted in two, and was on trial in the other two at the time of his death.
According to the police, Suhas was travelling in a car with five others, Sanjay, Prajwal, Anvith, Latheesh, and Shashank, when their vehicle was intercepted around 8.30 pm by a group of men in a car and a pickup truck. Around six assailants attacked Suhas with sharp weapons. He was rushed to a hospital but succumbed to his injuries.
Following the attack, the Mangaluru Police Commissioner Anupam Agarwal has imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 (Power to issue order in urgent cases of nuisance or apprehended danger) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) to prevent any untoward incidents. The orders came into effect at 6 am on May 2 and will remain in force until 5 am on May 6.
Mangaluru city police have also set up checkposts and intensified patrolling. A case has been registered at the Bajpe Police Station, and multiple teams have been formed to track down the attackers.
The prohibitory orders ban public gatherings, processions, slogan-shouting, and the circulation of provocative posters or social media content. Use of loudspeakers, musical performances, and speeches that could incite violence have also been prohibited during this period.
However, the order clarifies that the restrictions do not apply to official government functions, pre-approved marriage ceremonies, funeral processions, or religious events.
A large number of people, including former BJP MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, visited the hospital mortuary where Suhas’s body was kept. Several Hindu organisations have condemned the killing and called for a voluntary bandh in Dakshina Kannada district on May 2. Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Sharan Pumpwell urged people to shut down shops, bus services, and other establishments as a mark of protest.