Cattle trader’s murder: Arrest of saffron chauvinists hurts Shobha, says it was ‘needless’

Udupi, Jun 4: The arrest of policemen and saffron activists in connection with the murder of a Muslim cattle trader in Udupi district has deeply hurt BJP leader and Udupi-Chikkamagaluru MP Shobha Karandlaje.

Husainabba, 62-year-old a cattle trader from Jokatte, was attacked by a gang of Bajrang Dal members last week near Perdoor in Udupi in front of the policemen and then stuffed him into a police jeep. Husainabba had breathed his last in the jeep. The policemen and Bajrang Dal activists had dumped his body to cover up the case. However, the top cop managed to crack the case and 10 persons including three policemen were arrested in the case.

When people hailed the competence of Udupi Superintendent of Police Laxman Nimbargi, who did not hesitate to arrest the men in khaki for assisting Bajrang Dal activists to cover up the murder case, Shobha along with a BJP delegation met him and urged him not to arrest members of Hindu organisations needlessly.

Lalaji R. Mendon, B.M. Sukumar Shetty, Raghupati Bhat, MLAs, Dinakar Babu, President of Zilla Panchayat, Udaykumar Shetty, Mattar Ratnakar Hegde, T.V. Hegde, Gurme Suresh Shetty, BJP leaders, were part of the delegation.

Shobha said that there was rampant theft of cattle and their illegal transportation in the villages coming under the Perdoor-Hiriyadka belt and hence police should not go tough on Bajrang Dal activists, who according to her are protectors of cows.

“Even in the present Husianabba case, 13 head of cattle, 12 calves and one cow, were being transported in a multi-utility vehicle. Hence, the police should first take steps to check cattle theft and their illegal transportation,” she said.

The MP said that the saffron activists had first given information to the Hiriyadka police. It was the responsibility of the police to have seen that the activists did not gather at Shenarbettu near Perdoor. Even if they had gathered, the police should have dispersed them.

The police should have ensured that there was no assault on cattle transporters. Instead, the police had used the Hindutva activist, Suresh Mendon, for their own purpose. And, now, Mendon had been made an accused in the case, she said.

Shobha said that Sub-Inspector of Police Rafiq should be removed from the police investigation team in this case and also such other communally sensitive cases as there were allegations that he behaved rudely with people. The police should stop linking Hindutva activists with this case unnecessarily. It should not resort to frightening activists of Hindu organisations. The party would hold a protest over this issue here on Wednesday, she said.