Dakshina Kannada Superintendent of Police Hrishikesh Sonawane identified the two arrested suspects as Zakir (29) of Savanur and Shafiq (27) of Bellare. Nettaru (32) was killed by unidentified motorcycle-borne assailants in Bellary on Tuesday night.
Both the arrested people are said to be members of Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) and Popular Front of India (PFI). Police said they are yet to establish the motive. Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Alok Kumar said that 21 people belonging to various organizations have been detained and they are being questioned.
CM Basavaraj Bommai, who canceled programs for one year of his government and three years of BJP’s term, reached Mangaluru on Thursday evening and met Nettaru’s family in Bellary. He handed over a compensation check of Rs 25 lakh to Nuthana, Netaru’s wife. The state unit of the party also announced a compensation of Rs 25 lakh and a house. Those who paid compensation include BY Vijayendra (Rs 5 lakh), CN Ashwath Narayan (Rs 10 lakh), K Gopalaiah (Rs 5 lakh) and MP Renukacharya (Rs 1 lakh).
Before leaving Bangalore, Bommai said, “If the situation demands, then Yogi Model Governance will be adopted in Karnataka in UP to deal with anti-national and communal elements trying to create unrest in the state.”
The clamor for the ‘Yogi model’ – which refers to stringent measures, including the use of bulldozers to demolish homes of alleged anti-social elements, has been taken by UP CM Yogi Adityanath to control alleged anti-national activities in the state. Was taken at the behest – grew up in Karnataka after Nettaru’s murder.
Mangaluru city police commissioner N Shashi Kumar said that some people who are accused in serious cases are being questioned. There is a case of offense against Zakir under section 324 (voluntarily causing hurt with dangerous weapons) of the IPC. “He is the main accused in the Netaru murder case,” he said.
Police collected CCTV footage installed near Netaru’s chicken shop, in which a man is seen moving around suspiciously. Footage shows the suspect waiting on the roadside on a bike for about 30 minutes before boarding the shop just before the murder.
Accusing the government of failing to protect them, BJP functionaries at the cadre level in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Tumakuru and Chikkamagaluru continued to send resignations to top party officials on Thursday. Bandhs were observed in the towns of Koppa and Chikkamagaluru in Chikkamagaluru district. In Bengaluru, several Hindu activists protested in front of the town hall against the BJP government. The party functionaries deployed to persuade the resignations to change their decision met with little success.
Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje has written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah requesting that the investigation into Nettaru’s murder be handed over to the NIA.