Masud, 19, a labourer, was brutally beaten up by eight men leaving him grievously injured. The victim, later, succumbed to his injuries at a hospital on Thursday, July 21, his friend and eye witness Shanib told Clarion India.
Zafar Aafaq | Clarion India
NEW DELHI – The Karnataka Police have launched an investigation into the murder of a Muslim youth in an alleged assault by a gang of Bajrang Dal extremists earlier this week in the Dakshina Kanada district of the state.
Masud, 19, a labourer, was brutally beaten up by eight men leaving him grievously injured. The victim, later, succumbed to his injuries at a hospital on Thursday, July 21, his friend and eye witness Shanib told Clarion India.
The police have arrested eight accused in this connection after filing a case of murder under relevant IPC sections – 143 (Being member of an unlawful assembly), 147, Sections 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation), 324(Voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means), and 149 (Every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object.).
According to Shanib, on Wednesday evening, July 19, Masud had an altercation with his neighbour Sudhir. He apparently had a problem with Masud domesticating a calf that he had brought some time back.
After some time, Sudhir came to Shanib’s home with his friends and insisted that Masud should be allowed to join them. Initially, he was reluctant, but they assured that they wanted to resolve the issue amicably. “They are my neighbours and I know them well so I had not imagined they would attack us.”
When Shanib escorted Masud to the place, Sudhir and others pounced on him without a word, Shanib said, adding that he tried to protect his friend, but he too was hit and got injured. “Abhilasha, one of the men in the gang, hit Masud with a bottle of glass on the headband and he started bleeding,” Shanb recalled. “He ran away after that.”
The police, meanwhile, reached the spot and dispersed the mob. Shanib and others were able to locate Masud after an hour “who was lying unconscious near a well a few metres from the spot.”
He was rushed to a nearby health facility where after initial check up, the doctors referred him to a hospital in Mangalore. After two days, he succumbed to his injuries. The doctors did not go for surgery citing that he had a blood clot present inside the brain.
The accused attackers have been identified as Sudhir, Sunil Kelanje, Abhilash Bellare, Jim Ranjith, Shivaprasad, Bhaskar, Ranjth, Sadashiva. Three of them are said to have a criminal record and have come in the crosshairs of the police.
A police official at Bellare Police Station said that they took the accused into custody the very next day of the incident and change the case to murder after initially registered a FIR for attempt to murder.
Meanwhile, UT Khader, MLA from the area, demanded that the real culprits behind the murder should be arrested as soon as possible and appropriate legal action be taken against them and the government should give the maximum compensation to the family of the deceased.
SDPI State President Abdul Majid in his statement has said, “In Dakshina Kannada district, hate speeches by Sangh Parivar, statements of BJP MLAs and Ministers are leading to such terror acts. Now, the BJP and Sangh Parivar leaders not saying that the NIA should investigate? This type of lynching is becoming common in Karnataka.
