Brother of Mohammed Fazil, a young Muslim man who was hacked to death by Hindutva workers in Surathkal, Karnataka, on July 28 last year, was assaulted by three people in Ganeshpur of Katipalla town on Wednesday.
According to reports, the victim – Adil – was beaten up by three people. While two have been arrested, the third one is on the run. Police are still investigating the intention behind the assault.
Just a week ago, the provincial secretary of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) Sharan Pumpwell admitted that the organisation was responsible for the death of 23-year-old Mohammed Fazil.
Attending a Shaurya Yathre event of the Bajrang Dal held in Tumakuru district on Saturday, Pumpwell said that Fazil’s murder was to avenge the death of Praveen Nettaru, the 32-year-old Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) leader. Nettaru was attacked on July 27, 2022, with lethal weapons by unidentified persons who came on a bike.
“In order to respond to the murder of BJP leader Praveen Nettaru, youth in Surathkal killed him; not in an isolated place but in an open market. This is the power of Hindu youths,” Pumpwell said.
Reacting to the VHP leader’s latest admission of murdering his son, Mohammed Fazil’s father Farooq called Pumpwell a coward.
“Sending so many people to kill my son is not an act of bravery. Sharan Pumpwell has his own personal motives and thus uses religion to fulfill them. It is just for the vote bank,” Farooq told reporters. He had submitted a representation to the Mangaluru commissioner of police against Pumpwell.
Karnataka will face the Assembly election in May this year. The current BJP state government is run by chief minister Basavaraj Bommai.
