Karnataka, more pertinently Shivamogga district, is simmering after a Bajrang Dal activist was stabbed to death on Sunday.
Vehicles were set on fire and isolated incidents of stone-pelting were reported as tension spread in Karnataka’s Shivamogga town over the murder of a member of Bajrang Dal.
Harsha, a 26-year-old Bajrang Dal member who worked as a tailor, was stabbed by unidentified persons around 9 pm last night. He was rushed to hospital but could not survive.
Thousands accompanied the final journey of Harsha, 26, amidst a strict police vigilance, as the State, already reeling in Hijab Row, faced the prospect of a communal flare up.
The administration has imposed curbs on public gatherings and ordered that schools and colleges will stay shut. Despite the curbs, a large crowd of Bajrang Dal supporters accompanied the youth’s body as it was taken home.
Karnataka BJP minister KS Eshwarappa reacted vehemently and said: “I’m very disturbed by the murder of a Bajrang Dal activist. He was killed by ‘Musalmaan goondas’ (Muslim goons)…We’ll not allow goondaism.”
The Bajrang Dal activist was rushed to McGann district hospital where he was declared dead.
