Why did BJP label Suhas Shetty a rowdy then and calls him martyr now, asks K’taka Cong

Bengaluru: Responding to criticism by BJP leaders over the killing of Hindu activist Suhas Shetty in Mangaluru, the Karnataka Congress-led government chided the Opposition party and asked “if he was a noble soul, why did the previous BJP government open a rowdy sheet against him?”

Minister for Health, Dinesh Gundu Rao, who is also the Mangaluru District incharge Minister said on Tuesday, “The intoxication of fanaticism has been forcefully imposed on the innocent.”

Mentioning the copy of the police department’s order to open a rowdy sheet against Suhas Shetty, who was recently murdered, Minister Rao charged, “The rowdy sheet against Suhas Shetty was opened in 2020 — when the BJP government was in power and the revered Basavaraj Bommai was the Home Minister. Today, the BJP is portraying Suhas Shetty as a martyr and a great soul.”

“But if he was such a noble person, why did the BJP government at that time classify him as a rowdy?” Minister Rao questioned.

“While in power, they open rowdy sheets against criminals and when those very criminals die, they glorify them as martyrs and depict them as saints,” Rao slammed.

“Can they say whether their own children were ever beaten up for religion? It is always the children of the poor who end up as corpses on the streets. Isn’t this the truth?” Minister Rao stated.

“The people of Mangaluru are aware and alert. Now, more than ever, the people of the coastal region must recognise the conspiracy. If not, this rotten politics will destroy the peace of the district,” he appealed.

Suhas Shetty, a former Bajrang Dal activist, was killed on May 1. He was the prime accused in the murder of Mohammad Fazil, a resident of Surathkal. Shetty and his associates had allegedly killed Fazil in a public place on July 28, 2022, reportedly in retaliation for the murder of BJP youth worker Praveen Kumar Nettaru.

Nettaru, a BJP activist, was hacked to death during the height of the Hijab row. His murder had triggered a series of revenge killings and multiple stabbing incidents across Karnataka. Shetty had been released on bail at the time of his death.

Following the murder of Suhas Shetty recently, multiple stabbing incidents have been reported from Mangaluru and Udupi regions.

The BJP and Hindu activists have alleged the role of the police department in the murder and are demanding an investigation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

The police have arrested 8 people till now and have stated that Suhas Shetty was murdered to avenge Fazil’s killing.

IANS