Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Mar 29: The sixth additional district and sessions court here, through a judgement delivered on Wednesday March 28, absolved 17 persons listed as accused in the murder of Hindu activist, Sukhananda Shetty, in front of the business venture for which he used to work, in broad daylight on December 1, 2006.

The murder of Sukhananda Shetty from Mulky had created a furore in the state, giving rise to several protests demanding arrest of the accused.

Nawaz, Naushad, Mohammed Rafique, Shakir, Mohammed Aziz, Abdul Khader Ali, Mohammed Ashraf, P K Ayyub, Fatima Zohara, Saleem, Khalandar Bajpe, Rehamath Kalandar, Aziz alias European Aziz, Nizamuddin, Mohammed alias Sada Mohammed, Afroze, and Nassir, who were facing charges of being privy to the murder, stand acquitted. The judge found that the prosecution had failed to prove the charges levelled against the accused beyond reasonable doubt.

Sukhananda Shetty

The police had listed 23 accused in the case. Out of them, Mulky Rafique got killed at Udupi railway station, and Bullet Sudheer alias Atik had died in an encounter near Kundapur. Madoor Yousuf alias Isubu had been killed inside the prison here, and Kabeer was murdered near Gurpur. Two of the accused are absconding.

Sukhananda Shetty, who was active in Hindu organizations and BJP and was emerging as a leader with high organizational capacity, had been attacked with sharp weapons by a gang which arrived in a Qualis vehicle near the Marble Trading Company at Honnakatte Kulai on December 1, 2006. Sukhananda Shetty, who was critically injured in the attack, was rushed to a private hospital here but he succumbed to injuries sometime later. Suratkal police had registered the case and begun investigation.

The then district superintendent of police, Dayananda, had formed a special team led by Dr H N Venkatesh Prasanna, to crack the case and the team succeeded in arresting several accused including those who allegedly financed the crime. Akbar Kabeer from Gurpur was named as the main acused, while Mulky Rafique was accused of financing the murder-accused.

B Narayana had argued the case on behalf of the accused.