Bantwal, Karnataka : In a controversial move, the Bantwal Town police arrested Ashraf Thalappady, the Dakshina Kannada district secretary of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), along with several other district leaders, for calling for a protest demanding justice for two murdered Muslim men—despite being denied permission.
The protest was meant to highlight the lack of timely action in arresting the main accused involved in the brutal mob lynching of 36-year-old Ashraf, a mentally unwell Malayali Muslim man, in Mangaluru this April, and the murder of 32-year-old Abdul Rahiman, a sand transporter from Kolthamajalu, Bantwal taluk, who was killed on May 27 while unloading sand at a customer’s house.
SDPI had formally sought police permission to organise the protest on July 4. However, authorities declined the request, citing the fragile law and order situation in the communally sensitive Bantwal region following recent violent incidents. Despite the denial, SDPI leaders circulated the protest call on a WhatsApp group named ‘Breaking News Mykala’, prompting swift police action.
According to The Hindu, police have registered a case against the SDPI district leaders under Section 57, read with Section 189(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The arrests come amid growing criticism from SDPI over what it describes as the Karnataka police’s selective and biased approach in handling murder cases. The party alleged that the murder of Hindutva activist Suhas Shetty received immediate attention, with a Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed and the case transferred to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). In contrast, the killings of Ashraf and Abdul Rahiman have seen no such urgency or investigative transparency.
The twin murders have escalated communal tensions in the coastal district, with activists and community leaders raising alarm over rising Islamophobia and the apparent double standards in justice delivery.
