Mangaluru: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has officially handed over the investigation into the murder of hindutva activist Suhas Shetty to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), citing the seriousness of the offense and its potential links to a larger conspiracy involving radical elements.
The move comes over a month after Dakshina Kannada MP Captain Brijesh Chowta wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, requesting that the case be handed over to the central agency. In his letter, Chowta described the murder that took place on May 1 in Bajpe as a “cold-blooded murder carried out with impunity in public view” that has deeply shaken the coastal Karnataka region.
“In this case, sections 10 r/w 41, 13, 15, 17, 18 & 20 of UA(P) Act, 1967 are attracted, as it is related to the targeted killing of an individual in public view with the intention to create terror in the minds of people and the accused persons involved in the case are allegedly members of Popular Front of India (PFI), an unlawful association,” the order said.
The Central Government has directed the NIA to formally take over the investigation, under Section 6(5) read with Section 8 of the NIA Act.
In his letter, Chowta had pointed to a pattern of “growing Islamic radicalism” in the region, drawing parallels with the 2022 murder of BJP worker Praveen Nettaru, which was also linked to PFI activists. “The nation cannot afford to allow radical, anti-national, and jihadi forces to fester in any part of the country,” the MP wrote, calling for a comprehensive investigation to dismantle such networks.
