Praveen Nettaru, a Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha member, was hacked to death on July 26. Two Muslim men have been arrested in the case so far – Mohammed Shafiq Ballere and Zaqir Savanuru. While the two accused are linked to PFI and SDPI, another troubling detail emerged in the case – accused Shafiq Ballere and his father worked in the poultry shop of Praveen Kumar Nettaru. This was revealed by Shafiq’s father Ibrahim himself while talking to the media. Ibrahim told India Today, “I work at Praveen’s shop. My son and Praveen used to talk there.” There are also reports that Shafiq and Praveen Nettaru were good friends.
Earlier, two theories had emerged about the murder of Praveen Nettaru. One is that he was killed because he posted on social media supporting Kanhaiya Lal, who was beheaded by Jihadis recently for supporting Nupur Sharma. The second theory was that he may have been murdered as retaliation for the death of a Muslim man, who had been beaten up by Hindus after he had beaten up a Hindu youth.
Now, another theory has emerged, that could possibly be the reason behind the murder of Praveen Nettaru. It is pertinent to note here that the police are still investigating the motive behind his brutal murder by Jihadis.
A report published in Prajavani says that the chicken shop that Praveen Nettaru had opened, where accused Shafiq and his father worked, had overtaken the meat shops run by Muslims in the area and had become an object of hatred for the Islamists there.
9 months ago, Praveen opened his poultry shop called “Akshay Farm Fresh Chicken” in Bellary. Ranjith, Praveen’s father-in-law’s son, has said that the Islamists of the area had become envious of the shop over time. Praveen was a nationalist and a Dharmic who used to share several posts on social media, which were in the national interest. He had got several threats because of his posts and the police had been approached, however, no action was taken. Only days before his murder as well, Praveen had got threats.
In the South Karnataka district, there was a growing campaign to boycott Muslim meat sellers. Praveen had reportedly taken lead in this campaign and had started to create awareness about Hindus buying meat from Hindu shops and encouraged those who could, to start poultry and meat shops.
‘The chicken meat business in Bellare is under the control of non-religious people. Praveen had started a chicken meat business himself and they had threatened him. No matter how many obstacles he faced, he became successful in this industry. Inspired by him, Hindu youths started such businesses in many places in the district,’ he said.
The report also says that Praveen’s meat shop, in a mere 9 months, had overtaken the Muslim-owned poultry shops in the area. This is being pointed at as a possible motive for Praveen’s murder, coupled with the fact that he was spearheading the campaign to buy from Hindu shops.
The murder of Praveen Nettaru by Jihadis
On July 26, 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. Praveen Nettaru, who looked after a poultry business, was returning home when the attack happened. The assailants escaped after the attack. Praveen was rushed to the hospital, but he could not be saved.
Massive protests erupted after Praveen’s death in the city of Bellare and Sullia. While the outraged BJP Yuva Morcha members started to furnish mass resignations, the members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad called for a bandh concerning the safety of Hindus in the state of Karnataka.
The Police have arrested two accused named Zakir and Mohammed Shafiq in connection with the murder. According to the reports, Shafiq and Zakhir are the conspirators, but the assailants are yet to be apprehended. Investigations in the case are still underway.
