Days after the gruesome murder of Praveen Nettaru in Karnataka’s Dakshin Kannada district, it has now emerged that the father of one of the accused worked as a butcher at a chicken shop run by the BJP Yuva Morcha leader.
The Mangaluru police had earlier arrested two people, namely, Shafiq Ballere and Zaqir Savanuru, in connection to the case. Shafiq’s father Ibrahim worked as a butcher at the chicken shop of Praveen Nettaru.
The development was confirmed by India Today and Prajavani. While speaking about the matter, Ibrahim said, “I work at Praveen’s shop. My son and Praveen used to talk there. Praveen used to come to our house.”
He cried foul over the arrest of his son and claimed, “We have no idea why my son has been arrested. Just because we are Muslims, we are being targeted. Both Shafiq and Zakir aren’t like that.” Praveen Nettaru was hacked to death on July 26 this year.
The killers reportedly came on a bike in Bellari and attacked the BJP Yuva Morcha leader with sharp weapons. They also managed to flee the crime scene. The victim was returning home at the time of the attack. He was rushed to the hospital, but could not be saved.
Why Umesh Kolhe and Kanhaiya Lal’s story should concern Hindus?
His only mistake was that he had uploaded a Facebook post, extending his heartfelt support to Kanhaiya Lal, who was in turn butchered by one Riyaz and Ghaus for supporting ex-BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma.
The brutal killing of Praveen Nettaru happens to be the latest case where the perpetrator and his family were known to the victim. Last month, it came to light that the photograph and location of Kanhaiya Lal were leaked and made viral by his neighbour Nazim.
The accused had earlier filed a complaint against Kanhaiya Lal over a Facebook post supporting Nupur Sharma. Nazim and his co-religionists also conducted recce of his shop. Kanhaiya Lal’s appeal for security fell on deaf ears and the Udaipur police did not take any action, ultimately leading to his killing.
The tragedy that befell upon the family of Umesh Kolhe was also facilitated by his close friend of 16 years named Yusuf Khan. Like Kanhaiya Lal, Kolhe was hacked to death for supporting Nupur Sharma.
While prioritising his Faith over friendship, Yusuf provoked Islamists to kill his friend. According to police, Yusuf Khan had forwarded Umesh Kolhe’s message supporting Nupur Sharma in WhatsApp groups, instigating Islamists against him by saying that he was supporting someone accused of blasphemy.
“Khan instigated the other accused,” the police had said. Yusuf and Umesh Kolhe knew each other through their occupational links. Khan was a veterinary doctor while Kolhe was a medical store owner.
Eventually, they had become good friends over the years. Khan had even attended the funeral of Umesh Kolhe after the murder. The involvement of a person well known to the victim points toward a disturbing trend in violence by Islamists.
Hindus, who are vocal about their rights, must be wary of extremists in their close circle. Any callous move, coupled with failure to identify potential threats early on, can prove deadly.
