On July 26, a Bharatiya Janata Party Yuva Morcha worker Praveen Nettaru was hacked to death by unidentified assailants. As per reports, the killers came on a bike in Bellari, Dakshina Kannada of Karnataka, in the late evening and attacked Nettaru with sharp weapons. Nettaru, who ran a poultry business, was coming returning home when the attack happened. The assailants escaped after the attack. Nettaru was rushed to the hospital, but he could not be saved.
Karnataka | BJP Yuva Morcha worker Praveen Nettaru hacked to death with lethal weapons by unidentified people on a bike in Bellare, Dakshina Kannada. Further details awaited. pic.twitter.com/98koHUdGxV
— ANI (@ANI) July 26, 2022
Chief Minister of Karnataka Basavaraj Bommai expressed his deep condolences to Nettaru’s family and assured justice in the matter. In a tweet in Kannada, he said, “The barbaric killing of our party activist Praveen Nettaru from Dakshina Kannada district is condemnable. The perpetrators of such a heinous act will be arrested soon and punished under the law. May Praveen’s soul rest in peace. May God bless his family with the strength to bear this pain. Om Shanti.”
ದಕ್ಷಿಣ ಕನ್ನಡ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆ ಸುಳ್ಯದ ನಮ್ಮ ಪಕ್ಷದ ಕಾರ್ಯಕರ್ತ ಪ್ರವೀಣ್ ನೆಟ್ಟಾರು ಅವರ ಬರ್ಬರ ಹತ್ಯೆ ಖಂಡನೀಯ. ಇಂಥ ಹೇಯಕೃತ್ಯ ಎಸಗಿರುವ ದುಷ್ಕರ್ಮಿಗಳನ್ನು ಶೀಘ್ರವಾಗಿ ಬಂಧಿಸಿ ಕಾನೂನಿನ ಅಡಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಶಿಕ್ಷಿಸಲಾಗುವುದು.
— Basavaraj S Bommai (@BSBommai) July 26, 2022
ಪ್ರವೀಣ ಆತ್ಮಕ್ಕೆ ಶಾಂತಿ ಸಿಗಲಿ, ಈ ನೋವನ್ನು ಭರಿಸುವ ಶಕ್ತಿಯನ್ನು ದೇವರು ಅವರ ಕುಟುಂಬಕ್ಕೆ ಕರುಣಿಸಲಿ. ಓಂ ಶಾಂತಿಃ pic.twitter.com/kCk3W6hVc5
Following his death, many BJP workers sat in protest in Bellari and Puttur and demanded justice for the deceased.
#WATCH | Karnataka: “We want justice” slogans raised by many BJP workers protesting against the killing of BJP Yuva Morcha worker Praveen Nettaru.
— ANI (@ANI) July 26, 2022
(Visuals from Bellare & Puttur in Dakshina Kannada) pic.twitter.com/troB6yCjjv
It is unclear why Nettaru was killed. However, in a report in Manorama Online, it was mentioned that eyewitnesses alleged the assailants came on a bike with Kerala’s registration number. The location where the incident happened is close to the Kerala border. Times Now Navbharat also reported that the assailants were on a Kerala-borne bike.
#Karnataka के बेल्लारे में #BJP नेता #PraveenNettaru के मर्डर से सनसनी, हत्या के पीछे है धार्मिक एंगल? @SwetaSri27 @spbhattacharya pic.twitter.com/BXObjSdDxC
— Times Now Navbharat (@TNNavbharat) July 27, 2022
Karnataka Police has registered the case, and an investigation is underway. Reports suggest two recent incidents, including the murder of a Muslim man and a matter related to a mosque, could have led to the murder of Nettaru. Heavy Police forces have been deployed in the area to maintain law and order.
