A 36-year-old Muslim cleric was fired at and injured badly when unidentified men fired at him at Ugnikeri village near Kalaghatagi here on Saturday night. The victim, Khaleel Ahemad Shekh, is the mullah at Kamar-Ali Shah Dargah, situated on Karwar Road.
Shekh is undergoing treatment at the Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences hospital. Doctors said he is unconscious, but out of danger, and is being closely monitored.
Kalaghatagi police inspector Manjunath Naduvinamani said that three-four people had come to the dargah and asked Shekh for water, claiming that an accident had occurred on main road. As Shekh brought the water and accompanied them to the accident spot, they shot at him twice. One bullet was fired at his chest and another near the abdomen, the police said.
“He was rushed to KIMS by his family members. Doctors have given him 48 hours,” Naduvinamani said. “The motive behind the firing is yet to be ascertained. We will know the details only after Shekh regains consciousness,” the police officer said.