Karnataka shopkeeper murder case: Prohibitory orders extended till Dec 29

Dakshina Kannada, Dec 27 (IANS) The Karnataka police on Tuesday extended till December 29, the prohibitory orders imposed in four police stations limits of Mangaluru Police Commissionerate in Dakshina Kannada district in view of a shopkeeper's murder.

Abdul Jaleel, a resident of Krishnapura, was murdered by a gang of miscreants on Saturday night triggering tension in the communally-sensitive region. Though the police have cracked the case and arrested three persons in connection with the incident, the situation continues to be tense.

Police investigations have revealed that Jaleel was murdered over an affair with a woman. The police have arrested Shailesh Poojari (21), a resident of Krishnapura, Savin Kanchan (24), from Hejamadi near Udupi and Pavan (23), a resident of Katipalla.

According to police, Jaleel owned a ration shop and was in a relationship with a woman tailor for six years. They had been caught red-handed at his shop by the public earlier. Then, a localite had warned him not to continue with the affair. The police are searching for the accused man, as a probe revealed that he had planned it.

On December 24, the accused barged into the shop and threatened Jaleel of dire consequences if he failed to back out of the relationship. The same night, he was hacked to death.

The case was brought up for discussion in the Assembly by the opposition Congress. Senior leaders had attacked the ruling BJP for adopting discriminatory approach to murders, where Muslims are victims and Hindus are accused.

The Congress leaders have also questioned why the police department is not invoking the UAPA Act against the accused and seizing the properties.

Thousands of people attended the funeral of Abdul Jaleel. The police department had clamped curfew in the region till December 27 and now since the situation is still volatile, the orders have been extended till December 29.

The region had witnessed the revenge murders of Praveen Kumar Nettare on July 26 and Mohammad Fazil on July 28. The incidents had shaken the state.