R B Jagadish

Daijiworld Media Network—Karkala (EP)

Karkal, Dec 31: Naxal Noor Zulfikar, an accused in the murder of Hebri Seethanadi Bhoja Shetty, who was absconding, was produced by police in a Karkala court. The court has remanded him to judicial custody.

The Naxals had conducted an unsuccessful attempt to kill Shetty, a Hebri Seethanadi resident teacher, in 2006. The shot from their gun had shattered the TV in his house. Shetty was able to drive the Naxals away after brandishing his sword at them.

As if to avenge the incident, the Naxals had attacked Shetty and killed him in the midst of his police escort on May 15, 2008, a day before the assembly elections. Zulfikar is the accused in the murder.

Zulfikar is attending to court proceedings for the second time after coming to the mainstream giving up Naxal movement. He is accused of threatening to kill forest guard Harinarayana after pointing a gun at him in Kervase, Ajekar police station limits, in 2005. The court had ordered him to judicial custody when he was presented in court in Karkala on December 24 2014.

Zulfikar was brought to court amidst tight security, in a police van which did not have a number plate. Karkala station police and anti-Naxal force staff were shocked to see this.