Mangaluru: A wave of tension swept through Mangaluru on Thursday night following the brutal murder of Suhas Shetty, a 30-year-old man affiliated with the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the main accused in the 2022 murder of Mohammed Fazil. The incident occurred in Bajpe around 8:30 p.m., when Shetty, accompanied by five friends, was intercepted by a group of six unidentified assailants traveling in a car and pickup truck.
The attackers, armed with sharp weapons, inflicted multiple serious wounds on Shetty before fleeing the scene. Despite being rushed to a nearby hospital, Shetty succumbed to his injuries. His murder has led to heightened police presence, with checkposts and intensified patrolling in sensitive areas to prevent any communal unrest.
Shetty had a criminal background, with five cases registered against him in Mangaluru City and Dakshina Kannada district, including two murder-related cases. He had been convicted in one and acquitted in two, while trials were ongoing in the remaining cases.
Shetty’s alleged involvement in the high-profile murder of 23-year-old Mohammed Fazil in Surathkal in July 2022 had sparked fears of retaliatory violence, as Fazil was killed just two days after BJP Yuva Morcha leader Praveen Nettaru was murdered.
Following Shetty’s death, a large number of people, including senior BJP leader and former MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, gathered at the hospital. The investigation into the killing is ongoing.
