Praveen Kammar (36), vice-president of Kotur Gram Panchayat and leader of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), was stabbed to death in the village at around 1 AM pm on Wednesday, ahead of Karnataka polls. He was taken to the district municipal hospital before being transferred to the SDM Medical College hospital, where he succumbed to injuries on Wednesday morning. A case has been registered and four persons have been detained so far.
The politician was also an executive member of the BJYM Dharwad unit. The murder, according to the authorities, happened during the Udachamma Devi temple celebrations. A yatra was being taken out and ‘Prasadam’ was being distributed when he got into an altercation with some inebriated individuals.
They initially left but returned and started abusing the BJP leader and his supporters. Following this, a fight broke out between the two sides. When Praveen Kammar tried to intervene to prevent the scuffle, they hit him in the face and then stabbed him in the neck and abdomen.
The brawl was reportedly between his supporters and those of the opposition leaders. The murder is allegedly the result of political rivalry. After this incident, the police sprang into action and began conducting raids in numerous locations.
It’s a dastardly act. Praveen was stabbed at around 1 am last night at Kotur village of Dharwad district. He was shifted to SDM Medical College, Dharwad where he succumbed to injuries at 5 am on Wednesday morning. 4 accused including the person who actually stabbed have been… pic.twitter.com/v5anrufMOD
— ANI (@ANI) April 19, 2023
According to Karnataka Law and Order ADGP Alok Kumar, Praveen was stabbed at around 1 am last night at Kotur village of Dharwad district. He was shifted to SDM Medical College, Dharwad where he succumbed to injuries at 5 am on Wednesday morning. Kumar added that four persons, including the one who stabbed Praveen Kammar, have been nabbed.
Tejashwi Surya, a member of parliament and president of BJYM also posted about the incident. He expressed his grief and stated that the killing of BYJM leader Praveen Kammar is motivated by political rivalry. He demanded immediate action from the police in this matter.
With deep anguish, we share the news of the murder of BJYM Dharwad Unit Executive Member & Kottur Gram Panchayat VP, Sri Praveen Kammar.
— Tejasvi Surya (@Tejasvi_Surya) April 19, 2023
He was brutally murdered by suspected political rivals late last night.
BJYM demands immediate arrest of the killers & pray for his Sadgati. pic.twitter.com/eI6SW1nKEh
Union Minister Prahlad Joshi, Dharwad Rural MLA Amrut Desai and others visited the SDM Hospital. His body was handed over to the family after post-mortem.
This comes after BJP Yuva Morcha leader Praveen Nettaru was hacked to death with weapons by unidentified people in front of his broiler shop on July 26, 2022. The murder led to unrest in a number of Dakshina Kannada district neighbourhoods. Restrictions under section 144 of the Indian Penal Code were also imposed in Puttar last year in the wake of the incident. The NIA filed a charge sheet against 20 members of the Popular Front of India (PFI) in this case.
The names of the accused against whom the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has so far filed a charge sheet, in this case, are Mohammad Shiab, Mustafa Pachar, A Bashir, Riyaz, Masood, Mohammad Sharif, Abu Bakar Siddiq, Naufal, Ismail, Iqbal, Shaheed, Mohammad Shafiq, Umar Farooq, Abdul Kabir, Mohammad Isha, Abid, Sheikh Hussain, Zakir, Abdul Haris and Tufail.
However, Mustafa Paichar, Masood, Mohammad Sharif, Abu Bakar Siddiq, Umar Farooq and Tufail are absconding. A reward for the arrest of these suspects has also been announced by the NIA.
Notably, the father of one of the accused, Shafiq, worked at Praveen Nettaru’s shop and. Shafiq used to spend a considerable amount of time with the latter. According to reports, the NIA charge sheet has revealed the accused’s plot to incite communal unrest and bloodshed in the country, through the course of its investigation. Their aim was to create chaos and anarchy in India.
The NIA asserted that Praveen Nettaru’s murderers shared the same goal of enforcing Islamic law in India by the year 2047 as the suspects apprehended in Phulwari Sharif, Bihar. They formed a separate team called the ‘Service Team’ to execute their targeted individuals.
PFI is an Islamist organisation which was banned by the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) on 28 September 2022 for a period of five years.
