Within the wake of a contemporary cycle of communal murders within the coastal areas of Mangaluru and Dakshina Kannada over the past month, the Karnataka authorities after being beneath strain from its native celebration unit, has effected a collection of adjustments to senior law enforcement officials deputed to the area.
On Thursday, the federal government appointed Deputy Inspector Normal-rank officer C H Sudhir Kumar Reddy as the brand new Mangaluru police commissioner, rather than the incumbent Anupam Agrawal.
Reddy, who served beforehand because the superintendent of police (SP) of the Dakshina Kannada area, is at the moment a joint director within the state intelligence division.
He’s thought-about to have intensive information of the coastal area and is considered a no-nonsense police officer.
The federal government additionally appointed the present SP for the coastal Udupi area, Okay Arun, as the brand new SP of the neighbouring Dakshina Kannada district rather than the incumbent officer, N Yathish.
Arun is taken into account to be accustomed to policing the communally polarised coastal area on account of a reasonably profitable tenure of 21 months within the neighbouring coastal Karnataka area.
Whereas Agrawal served a 21-month tenure as Mangaluru police commissioner, Yathish held the Dakshina Kannada submit for lower than a yr.
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Agrawal has been moved to the Financial Offences unit of the CID, and Yathish is but to be posted.
The Karnataka authorities has additionally appointed former Mangaluru deputy commissioner for legislation and order, Hariram Shankar, who’s at the moment with the state intelligence division, as the brand new SP for the Udupi area.
The order for the change of guard of the highest police brass for the coastal Karnataka area got here on a day when many leaders of the minority unit of the ruling Congress celebration in coastal Karnataka submitted resignations to protest three communal killings within the area.
The cycle of murders occurred after a lapse of almost three years.
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Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah held a breakfast assembly with senior Congress chief B Okay Hariprasad on Thursday to ostensibly focus on the communal murders in coastal Karnataka.
Hariprasad, who hails from the area and enjoys the arrogance of the All India Congress Committee, is reported to have prompt sturdy measures to manage the legislation and order scenario.
“We mentioned the Mangaluru scenario specifically,” Siddaramaiah mentioned after the assembly with Hariprasad.
“We have now to revive the communal concord within the area. Hindus and Muslims shouldn’t maintain hatred for one another. I’ve requested Hariprasad to journey to Mangaluru,” Siddaramaiah mentioned.
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“The CM has mentioned the Mangaluru problem extensively,” Hariprasad, who hails from an OBC group in coastal Karnataka, mentioned after the assembly.
The present Dakshina Kannada in-charge minister, Dinesh Gundu Rao, additionally reportedly visited Siddaramaiah and sought to be relieved of his cost.
Rao, who’s the state well being minister, represents a constituency in Bengaluru.
The current murders and the cycle of violence
Within the newest communal homicide in coastal Karnataka, a sand provider and mosque secretary within the Bantwal area of Dakshina Kannada, Abdul Rahim, 32, was murdered on Might 27. Three folks, Deepak Poojary, 21, Prithviraj, 21, and Chiranthan, 19, all residents of Bantwal, have been arrested up to now.
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A good friend of the sufferer, Kalandar Shafi, 29, who was severely injured within the assault, is beneath therapy on the ICU of a hospital.
The assault got here on the heels of the homicide of a prison historical past sheeter, Suhas Shetty, 32, who was a Bajrang Dal activist and a key accused within the July 2022 homicide of Mohammed Fazil in Surathkal.
Naushad alias Chotte Naushad, one of many accused in Shetty’s homicide, was attacked with stones within the Mangaluru Central Jail on Might 19.
Previous to Shetty’s homicide, Mohammed Ashraf, 36, a vagabond, was lynched by a mob in Mangaluru on April 28 for a slogan he raised.
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Coastal Karnataka has a long-running cycle of communal murders perpetrated by gangs that benefit from the political patronage of communal teams within the religiously polarised area.
Shetty’s homicide was allegedly dedicated on the behest of Mohammed Adil, Fazil’s brother. Fazil, 23, was murdered at a clothes retailer in Surathkal on the outskirts of Mangaluru metropolis on the night of July 28, 2022.
Within the wake of Rahim’s homicide on Might 27, Karnataka Further Director Normal of Police (Legislation and Order) R Hitendra had acknowledged that the police would take “extraordinary steps” to manage the legislation and order in coastal Karnataka.
The ADGP mentioned the coastal area had not witnessed a collection of murders for 3 years.
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“Along with common preventive measures, some extraordinary steps are being taken. I’ve given directions to the Dakshina Kannada and Mangaluru law enforcement officials,” he mentioned.
Within the earlier high-profile cycle of murders in 2022, an 18-year-old from Kerala, Masood B, was killed within the Bellare village on July 20; a BJP youth chief from the identical village, Praveen Nettaru, 32, was killed on July 26 in an obvious act of revenge; and Fazil, 23, was killed on July 28 in retaliation.
The Karnataka authorities additionally ordered the formation of a Particular Motion Pressure (SAF) to sort out communal crimes within the Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Shivamogga districts.
It’s going to have three firms – one every for the three communally delicate districts of the state.
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The 248 posts for SAF are being carved out from the Anti-Naxal Pressure (ANF), whose power of 656 personnel will now be diminished to 376.
The federal government has determined to cut back ANF numbers because the final identified Naxals within the area surrendered in January 2025.