SHIVAMOGGA: A day after two persons were arrested in connection with the murder of Bajrang Dal activist Harsha, the Shivamogga police have arrested four more persons. The police suspect that more may be involved in the case and are on the lookout.
A sense of unease continued to prevail on Tuesday with the city turning into a fortress. As many as 1,200 police personnel and the Rapid Action Force (RAF) are patrolling the city to maintain law and order. But some miscreants managed to set fire to three autorickshaws and two motorcycles in the wee hours of Tuesday.
The four arrested are Asif Ullah Khan, Rihan Sharif, Nihan and Abdul Afnan. On Monday, Mohammad Khasif (30) and Syed Nadeem were arrested.
Superintendent of Police B M Laxmi Prasad told reporters that Khasif is the main accused while Nadeem is Accused No. 2.
Asif Ullah Khan, Rihan Sharif, Nihan and Afnan are accused number three to six, respectively. Except for Khasif, the other accused are aged 21 and 22.
“All the accused are residents of the city. We detained 12 people and found that six were involved in the murder. Of the six, four are involved in crimes including assault, attempt to murder and rioting. The victim Harsha was also an accused in two cases of rioting and hurting religious sentiments, registered in 2016 and 2017,” the SP said.
Cops grilling 6 accused separately
The SP said that while the criminal background of four of the accused has been verified, that of the other two is being checked.
“We are interrogating all the six accused separately to ascertain the motive for the murder,” he said.
“We have collected evidence and some information from eyewitnesses,” he added. Meanwhile, sources in the Home Department said that the role of organisations, logistic support, shelter and funding, if any, are also under investigation.
On the ground, top police officers including ADGPs Prathap Reddy and S Murugan, three Superintendents of Police, including Shivamogga SP B M Laxmi Prasad, one Additional SP and 12 Deputy SPs are overseeing maintenance of law and order.
The Home Department had on Monday rushed 212 inspectors and sub-inspectors from different parts of the state to Shivamogga as they had earlier worked in the city. Personnel from 20 KSRP units, 10 DAR units and one RAF unit are deployed across the city.
“As of now, we have adequate personnel to ensure peace in the city,” SP Laxmi Prasad said.
The police and RAF personnel barricaded residential areas in the old parts of the city and were seen questioning people.
Heavy security was also provided around the residence of Harsha. Main roads including AA Circle, BH Road, Bus Stand, Nehru Road, Balraj Urs Road, Sir MV Road, Gandhi Bazaar and other commercial areas were barricaded and business establishments were closed due to the curfew.
Many residents who ventured out for essential work had to face inconvenience.
14 FIRs registered
14 cases have been registered with regard to rioting, arson and stone-throwing incidents following Harsha’s murder, the SP said.