Following back-to-back murders that shook Karnataka’s Dakshina Kannada district, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said that he will soon visit the families of the two of the deceased – Masood and Mohammed Fazil.
Speaking to the media on Monday, 1 August, the CM said that he plans to visit Bellare village and Surathkal, where the two were from respectively.
Bommai also responded to the allegations by Janata Dal (Secular) leader HD Kumaraswamy that he was "behaving like the Chief Minister of the BJP, and not the state."
The allegations came as CM Bommai visited the family of slain Bharatiya Janata Party Yuva Morcha member Praveen Nettaru, and not the other two victims. "Discrimination is not a concern because we are a national party. Let Congress and JD(S) look back on what they did while in power," Bommai said.
Further, speaking about the case being handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), he said that the process is underway. The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) is being invoked and legal paperwork for the same is on, he added.
What Happened?
Masood, an 18-year-old who lived near Bellare village, was hacked to death on 19 July, by a group for rearing a calf. Days later, another murder was reported in the same taluk, when a few men riding bikes attacked BJP Yuva Morcha member Praveen Nettaru. The next day, on 28 July, a man named Mohammed Fazil was killed in Surathkal. It is still unclear if the murders are connected.
A controversy broke out when Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai visited the family of Praveen before that of Masood or Fazil. He also handed over a cheque of Rs 25 lakh to Praveen's family from the state government relief fund, and also cancelled celebrations for the anniversary of his government in light of his death.
(Published in arrangement with The News Minute.)
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