Surathkal murder victim buried amid tense situation, no clue yet on perpetrators

City police detain Sri Rama Sene leader Pramod Mutalik on Udupi-DK border for violating order banning his entry

Amid continued efforts by the police to identify and bring to book assailants of Fazil, who was murdered in Surathkal on the night of July 28 night, his funeral was conducted at Mangalapete with religious rituals at the nearby masjid.

Police, however, did not allow the body to be taken in a procession to avoid any trouble even as they have detained 12 persons since July 28 night who were moving around suspiciously.

City Police Commissioner N. Shashi Kumar told reporters that the detained persons were present in public places without any valid reasons amid enforcement of prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. Police will verify their antecedents and take necessary action.

While social media was abuzz with messages attributing several reasons for young Fazil’s murder, Mr. Kumar said they were yet to zero in on the specific reason for the crime and also the perpetrators. As a precautionary measure, the administration has clamped Section 144 CrPC in Panambur, Surathkal, Mulki and Bajpe police station limits, all identified as sensitive areas since the murder was committed.

Twenty-two year-old Fazil, a resident of Mangalapete in Surathkal was hacked to death with sharp weapons by unidentified miscreants who attacked him near a cloth shop in Surathkal town on July 28 night. The murder, committed days after the killing of Praveen Nettaru, a BJYM worker in Bellare on July 26, has further intensified the situation in the region.

Pramod Muthalik detained

Meanwhile, Mangaluru City Police detained Sri Rama Sene National President Pramod Muthalik at Hejamady, on the border of Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts, when he was trying to enter the Mangaluru City limits on July 29 morning from Udupi.