Shivamogga, Feb 26 (IANS): After witnessing large-scale violence following the murder of 28-year-old Bajrang Dal worker Harsha, the Shivamogga district is limping back to normalcy.
All curfew curbs have been lifted. The district administration, however, will keep prohibitory orders in place till Sunday with all schools and colleges remaining closed till Monday.
Meanwhile, the special teams formed to probe the case have made two more arrests taking the number of arrested persons to ten. The arrested have been identified as Abdul Roshan (24), a resident of Bhadravathi town and Jafar Sadiq (55) from Shivamogga city.
Shops and commercial establishments in Shivamogga are allowed to operate between 6 a.m and 4 p.m on Saturday. However, heavy police presence will continue in the city to ensure absolute restoration of peace.
Two cars and a bike used for the murder by the accused have been recovered. The police informed that the registration numbers of these vehicles do not belong to Karnataka.
The special teams have zeroed in on the girls who allegedly made last calls to Harsha seeking help to trap him. However, during the preliminary inquiries, the police could not find any connection between the girls and the murderers, sources said. A search is on for the deceased Harsha's mobile which has gone missing.
Youths who flashed weapons before the police have also been identified and will be taken into custody. Curfew was imposed from Monday, after murder of Harsha on Sunday night.
According to police, the killers had made new weapons, including machetes, to hack Harsha to death in a furnace located in Bhadravathi town.
The killers had followed Harsha in a car on last Sunday morning to night and observed all his movements. All the 10 accused have been taken into police custody for further investigation. The district administration has lodged cases against 500 persons, for taking the body in a procession violating prohibitory orders.
Harsha was hacked to death by a gang of miscreants last Sunday night.
Harsha, who was popularly known as Harsha Hindu, was in the forefront of 'Hindutva' activities and questioned illegal transportation of cows.
He was sharing fierce Hindutva messages on his social media accounts and also commented on the hijab issue. The murder has led to widespread violence across the state. Curfew was clamped orders since last Monday and as many as 2,000 policemen have been deputed to ensure no untoward incident happens.
The ruling BJP claims it to be more than a murder saying that a message has been conveyed through the murder by certain organisations. The opposition Congress maintained that as elections are nearing, the BJP wants to take political advantage of the murder. Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), whose role is suspected by BJP leaders behind the murder, has held a press conference and alleged that Sangh Parivar hand is there behind it.
The government has decided to block the Facebook page by the name "Managaluru Muslim", where the murder of Harsha was celebrated through a post. Information on the page has been sought.
An FIR has been lodged and investigation the matter is on.
Two policemen who liked the page, were taken into custody and later released in Dakshina Kannada district.
Chhattisgarh car used for Harsha murder, mysterious female callers identified
The police officials investigating the murder of Hindu activist, Harsha, have learnt that a month's planning had gone into the murder of Harsha and the car used to execute the murder plan bore Chhattisgarh registration number.
The accused, after committing the murder, had escaped in another car and a motorbike. The police have succeeded in taking into possession all these three vehicles.
All the ten arrested persons have been taken into police custody for 11 days and they are being questioned. More people are likely to be arrested as the interrogations continue. The police hope to take into custody those who funded the accused, people who abetted Harsha's murder etc.
The use of car from Chhattisgarh by the murders has given rise to suspicions. The accused are claiming that they were dealing in second hand cars. The police want to know from where they got this car from Chhattisgarh that is located far away.
The police have identified the people who flashed machetes during the protest at the police. They have taken steps to arrest the concerned. In the meanwhile, prohibitory orders in the district has been extended till 9 am on February 28 as a precautionary measure even though businesses are permitted to be run from Saturday onward.
It is learnt that the police have accessed the details of the two girls who had called Harsha minutes before he was murdered. The police sources said that these girls were not connected with the murder, and had tried to befriend Harsha after seeing his photos in the social media and unfortunately the murder happened at that time. In the meantime, search for the missing mobile phone of Harsha is on. The police are trying to put together call and chat details connected with his phone.