NEW DELHI: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has given its nod to hand over the probe into the murder of former Bajrang Dal leader Suhas Shetty in Karnataka’s Mangaluru last month to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Shetty, the prime accused in the 2022 murder of a 23-year-old man named Mohammed Fazil, was killed by a group of assailants on May 1 near Kinnipadavu. So far, local police have arrested 11 people in connection with the murder.
According to the officials, the NIA will now investigate Shetty’s murder case after it received a communication from the MHA allowing it to take up the case. The anti-terror agency will take police remand of all the accused and question them in detail about the case.
According to the police, five to six men armed with swords and sharp weapons intercepted Shetty's car and attacked him. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, but succumbed to his injuries.
Shetty’s murder triggered widespread unrest across the Dakshina Kannada district, with the police enforcing prohibitory orders, suspending public transport, and political groups demanding a central investigation into the murder.
Shetty, 42, was a well-known figure in coastal Karnataka’s political undercurrent, with a long-standing association with Hindutva organisations like the Bajrang Dal. He had five criminal cases against him and was considered a rowdy-sheeter.
Shetty’s name came to national attention in 2022 as a key accused in the murder of Fazil, a case that intensified communal tensions in the region.
Notably, Fazil’s murder occurred just two days after the killing of BJP Yuva Morcha leader Praveen Nettaru in Sullia, which significantly heightened tensions across coastal Karnataka.