Early probe suggests Bajrang Dal activist killed in local gang rivalries

Bengaluru: The murder of a 27-year-old Bajrang Dal activist Harsha Hindu in Karnataka, which has kept Shivamogga district under communal tension for days, points to long-standing rivalries between Hindu and Muslim gangs in the area.

At least ten people have been arrested in connection with the murder so far. The arrested have records of involving into criminal activities, though police investigation is also not ruling out the possibility of ongoing protest linked to ban on hijab wearing in schools and colleges.

Harsha Hindu was bonded with the right wing groups in the state. He was also accused of making derogatory remarks against Islam on social media.

According to the Police, the immediate motive is still not clear, but the long-standing rivalries between Hindutva gangs and Muslim gangs is suspected to be what led to the killing.

On the night of February 20, Harsha Nagaraj alias Harsha Hindu was with his friends for dinner at a restaurant in the Doddapet and the killer gang members, who were lurking in a car and an auto rickshaw, hacked him to death with swords when Harsha's friends were not around him for a while.

The killing of the Bajrang Dal activist triggered a series of violence in the area, where arson and stone pelting had taken place in the very next morning. One of the arrested, Mohammed Kashif, who is believed to be the main accused in the murder, is said to be the one who brought together the gang with the killing intention.

Police suggest that the killing could be the results of a gang rivalry that had built up over a period. Police, however, investing all other angles for the motives behind the killing, believe that the local level skirmishes between the two gangs in the past could have been culminated in the murder.

Apart from Mohammed Kashif, three of other accused in the case, Rihan Shariff alias Kasi, Asif alias Asifullah Khan alias Chiku, and Abdul Afuhan alias Derar, have criminal cases registered against them and have been involved in as many as 16 crimes in Shivamogga since 2016.

The goons had also been jailed for various crimes, including armed robberies, assault and arson in the period between 2016 and 2017 in Shivamogga.

Harsha Hindu had also been booked for intentional insult targeting a Muslims and Prophet Mohammed through posts on social media.

Although the local gang rivalry angle is at play in the murder, the police have not ruled out the possibility of the involvement of a larger group. Sources said the role of outfits like the PFI, which have been involved in the targeted killing of right-wing activists, had not been found in the case.