MANGALURU: Tension continues to simmer in Dakshina Kannada district following three murders in a span of 10 days.
Recognising the gravity of the situation, local police have stepped up their probe into the murder of 23-year-old Mohammed Fazil. However, they are yet to achieve any major breakthrough.
Fazil, a resident of Mangalpete near Surathkal, was hacked to death by a group of men on Thursday, in the same way BJP worker Praveen Nettaru was on Tuesday. Two persons have been arrested in the Nettaru case. Police have also detained 37 for questioning.
A senior police officer said they have received clues in connection with Fazil’s case and are suspecting the involvement of a rowdy.
ADGP (law and order) Alok Kumar, who has been camping in Mangaluru since tension broke out following the murder of Nettaru, told STOI: “We will arrest the culprits soon. We’ve received information that a rowdy is involved. The motive will be established once the accused are arrested.”
Meanwhile, an uneasy calm continued to prevail in several areas of the district, with prohibitory orders and restrictions being imposed even as police made efforts to ensure peace between the two communities.
The Muslim Central Committee of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts, which has control over 1,000 mosques, boycotted the district peace committee meeting held at the deputy commissioner’s office. BM Mumtaz Ali, vice-president of Muslim Central Committee, said they did so because chief minister Basavaraj Bommai, who had visited Nettaru’s house, did not meet the families of Masood B, who was assaulted on July 19, and Fazil. “Why is one youth being treated differently to the other two? Also, only one case has been handed over to the NIA (National Investigation Agency),” he said.
