India News | Ex-Minister Alleges Karnataka of 'misusing' Anti-communal Task Force to Target Hindutva Voices

Mangaluru (Karnataka), May 3 (PTI) Former Karnataka Minister V Sunil Kumar on Saturday accused the state government of attempting to divert the investigation into the murder of Hindu activist Suhas Shetty by holding select meetings and misusing state machinery.

In a strongly worded statement, he alleged that the proposed Anti-Communal Task Force for the coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi is intended not to curb violence but to "suppress pro-Hindutva voices."

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Kumar, a senior BJP leader, said that before convening a meeting with senior police officials in Mangaluru, Home Minister G Parameshwara held a separate discussion with Muslim community leaders.

"At this meeting, some of the leaders reportedly banged the table and issued veiled threats to the government. Their behaviour suggests they are now attempting to ride roughshod over the administration," he alleged.

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The former minister questioned whether the state Home Department was being placed “at the feet of coastal jihadist elements” and accused the minister of dancing to the tunes of those sympathetic to the murder suspects.

"The purpose of forming an Anti-Communal Force is clear," Kumar said.

"The government wants to use the police machinery to silence voices aligned with Hindutva. Instead of promoting peace, the priority appears to be safeguarding the interests of former PFI elements,” he added, referring to the banned Popular Front of India.

Kumar also criticised Speaker U T Khader's recent comments, in which he allegedly gave a clean chit to the family of Fazil—another murder accused from an earlier case.

"Just yesterday, Speaker U T Khader defended Fazil's family, but today, Mangaluru Police Commissioner Anupam Agrawal has revealed that Fazil's brother paid Rs 5 lakh to orchestrate Suhas Shetty's killing. Which version should the public believe?" he asked.

"If this is true, the Speaker must step down from his position," he demanded.

The political row follows the murder of Suhas Shetty, a Hindutva activist and a rowdy sheeter in Mangaluru on Thursday evening. The incident triggered tension in the coastal city, prompting a bandh call and drawing attention to the region's persistent communal fault lines.

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