Bajrang Dal man's murder: tremor from a deep communal faultline

'The murder of a Bajrang Dal activist has made Karnataka tense . The Hindutva groups are calling it "revenge" for the lynching of a Muslim in distant Dadri, UP, for allegedly eating beef. Prashant Poojary, 29, was killed in Moodabidri, Dakshina Kannada, on 9 October, according to reports. Poojary had actively worked to close slaughterhouses in the district. He was allegedly murdered by six people who came on motorcycles, wearing masks and wielding knives. It was on the cards, perhaps. Mohammed Akhlaq's lynching had found an echo in Dakshina Kannada, one of the state's most polarised districts, which has seen frequent clashes between Hindus and Muslims... The police said the prime accused, Hanif, and his associate Imtiaz worked at a slaughterhouse in Moodabidri, which was forcibly shuttered by Bajrang Dal activists, including Poojary, a few days ago...

Dakshina Kannada, where the BJP and allied Hindutva outfits have enjoyed strong support for decades, has turned into a communal cauldron over the past 15 years. They have been organising campaigns against cattle trafficking and forcing closure of illegal slaughterhouses, sometimes with the tacit backing of the police. Moral policing is rampant, with both Hindu and Muslim groups attacking girls and boys seen talking or travelling with youth of the other faith...'