The BJP, which is yet to elect the Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Legislature, has been trying to build a campaign around two recent murders in the State. The BJP State unit has formed two fact-finding committees to probe what it terms “communal killings”, and has demanded that the cases be handed over to Central agencies. It has also complained to the Governor that “law and order has broken down in the State”.
On July 6, a Jain monk, who was heading an ashram in Belagavi in north Karnataka, was reported missing. Two days later, the monk’s associate, Narayan Mali, admitted to killing him. Mali led the police to the dismembered remains of the monk, which had been dumped in a borewell. Mali allegedly killed the monk with the help of Hasan Dayalat, who was hired for the purpose, over a financial dispute. Both men have been arrested. The BJP has been demanding a CBI inquiry into the case, alleging that the Congress government is “anti-Hindu” and cannot be trusted to deliver justice. BJP MLA Siddu Savadi even claimed that the Islamic State (IS) was involved in the murder.
The same week, Venugopal Nayak, 32, a member of Yuva Brigade, a Hindutva outfit, was killed in T. Narasipur in Mysuru district in south Karnataka. He was stabbed to death while organising Hanuma Jayanthi celebrations. The BJP alleged that the incident was “communal” and that Nayak was targeted for fighting for Hindutva. It argued that “the series of murders of Hindutva activists had returned to haunt the State.” There have been campaigns on social media comparing Karnataka to West Bengal. The BJP has demanded a probe by the NIA into the case. It has also claimed that the killers were associates of Sunil Bose, son of Social Welfare Minister H.C. Mahadevappa.
