Bajrang Dal member Harsha was killed in Shivamogga  |  Photo Credit: IANS
Key Highlights
- VHP condemned killing of Bajrang Dal activist, demands curbs on activities of Islamic fundamentalists
- Shivamogga administration clamped prohibitory orders across the district
- A 23-year old Bajrang Dal activist was stabbed to death on February 20, 2022
Bengaluru: The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Monday said that Bajrang Dal member Harsha who was murdered in Shivamogga in Karnataka on February 20 night, was ‘attacked by jihadists earlier too’. The VHP claimed that Harsha’s cold-blooded and heinous murder is a diabolical act jointly perpetrated by the Popular Front of India (PFI) and the Socialist Democratic Party of India (SDPI) carried out with an ulterior motive to spread terror throughout the state of Karnataka.
The VHP announced that Bajrang Dal will stage statewide protests on February 23.
Attacking the PFI and SDPI, the VHP accused the workers of both the outfits of carrying out such brutal acts in various parts of Karnataka with impunity. Two months ago, Bajrang Dal activist Manju Bhargav was attacked in Tumkur. Nagesh, a Bajrang Dal worker from Shimoga, Prashanth Poojary in Dakshina Kannada, Kuttappa from Madikeri, Rudresh in Bangalore were attacked by the PFI and SDPI workers,” the VHP informed.
The Vishva Hindu Parishad further claimed that the attackers came from Kerala and attempts are being made to trigger communal violence in the state
“VHP is of the firm view that these workers come to Karnataka from Kerala, perpetrate such crimes and vanish. It is a deep-rooted conspiracy of these anti-social and anti-national elements to foment trouble and trigger communal clash among different sections of society,” it said in its statement.
VHP demanded the Karnataka state government to immediately handover the case to the National Investigating Agency (NIA) as the ‘sinister design and nefarious activities of the PFI and SDPI spreads across the borders of different states’.
The further alleged that the murder of Harsha was an outcome of the “poison” that fanatics are spreading in the Muslim community.
Coming down hard on Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, VHP joint general secretary Surendra Jain alleged that the ‘tukde-tukde’ gang works to spread such poison in the name of Muslim appeasement.