Bengaluru: Two more persons have been arrested on Tuesday in connection with the murder of BJP Yuva Morcha activist Praveen Kumar Nettaru in Karnataka’s Bellare.
Speaking to reporters, Home Minister Araga Jnanendra said the police have arrested all the persons who were involved in the case.
“It is a known fact why the murder was carried out and who is involved in it. The police have made 4 arrests in the case,” he said.
He maintained that since the investigation is in progress, he can’t divulge more details.
“Whoever are involved in the case are arrested and the police have not arrested innocent persons… the arrests were made based on evidence,” the Home Minister said.
“Likewise, the investigation of Mohammad Fazil Mangalpet, the youth who was killed following the murder of BJP activist Praveen is also progressing,” he added.
Home Minister Araga Jnanendra charged that the present situation is existing because of misrule during the time of the Congress government headed by then Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
“He had withdrawn police cases against fundamental organisations belonging to the minority community and emboldened communal forces,” he alleged.
“Now he (Siddaramaiah) says, there is a collapse of law and order in the state. Siddaramaiah is directly responsible for the situation,” the Home Minister stated.
The arrested persons are identified as Saddam (32), a resident of Bellare, and Harris (42), a resident of Pallajamajalu.
The police had earlier arrested Shafeeq and Zakir on July 27 in connection with Praveen’s murder.
Though Jnanendra maintained that all accused in Praveen’s murder case are arrested, sources in the police said the probe is still underway to nab other accused who hatched the conspiracy.
The police investigations into the case of the murder of Praveen have shown that the victim’s involvement and active participation against ‘halal cut meat’ campaign is the reason behind his murder, sources said on Monday.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had stated that the sleuths of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) have taken up the probe into the murder case.
Sources said Praveen was actively involved in the campaign against ‘halal meat’. He had also opened a chicken shop and sold meat prepared without the halal cut.
Praveen campaigned on the ground as well as on social media that Hindus should not buy halal-cut meat from Muslim traders.
His initiatives made ‘big news’ in Bellare town.
The police suspect that Praveen had come to the radar of fundamental organisations with the campaigning, sources said.
