Just a few days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi hit out at cow vigilantes, a BJP worker was killed and another person injured allegedly by VHP and Bajrang Dal activists in Udupi, a coastal town in Karnataka .
According to police, VHP and Bajrang Dal activists waylaid and attacked Praveen Poojary (28) and Akshay Devadiga near Hebri in Udupi district on Wednesday night with sharp weapons as they were transporting three cows in a vehicle.
Udupi district Superintendent of Police KT Balakrishna confirmed the incident and said Poojary died instantly while Devadiga has been admitted to a hospital at Bramhavar. He said 17 people were arrested and a hunt is on to nab the others involved. The coastal districts of Udupi and Dakshina Kannada have been reporting cases of cow vigilantism in the last several years.
Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara told reporters in Bengaluru that it may be because of cattle trade-related business feud between two groups behind the killing of the BJP worker.
He said, "17 people have been arrested in connection with the incident, police are suspecting some sort of a cattle trade-related business dispute.” However he ruled out any communal angel to the entire incident at this juncture. Noting that he does not see a communal angle to the incident "at this point of time", Parameshwara said "some reason must be there, we will find out".
"... We don't know at this stage, but they are suspecting some sort of a dispute because of the trade, it is not definite, but they are suspecting. Investigation will give us the final picture," he added.
The Home Minister also expressed concern over repeated incidents relating to beef and cattle trade in Karnataka. "We are vigilant, we will definitely try and maintain peace and order. I appeal to the people who are trying to create this kind of disturbance not to do this because we are a tolerant society and we should not create these kind of issues," he said.
After PMs hard hit attack on cow vigilantes the Union Home Ministry had asked all state governments not to tolerate anyone taking law into their hands in the name of protecting cow and to take prompt action against such offenders. Prime Minister had attacked cow vigilantes and asked people to beware of these 'fake' protectors trying to divide the society and the country. He made these comments after his government and BJP came under attack over incidents of violence against Dalits and Muslims by cow vigilantes in various states including Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.