Death to keep terror alive: Hindu leaders' murders show common pattern and motive

If one looks at the probe papers closely, it becomes clear that the intention is to spread terror and panic in the minds of the Hindu community. The motive clearly is to keep the Hindu community on tenterhooks.

New Delhi, Aug 17: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has found a similar pattern in the murders of several Hindus in recent times. While investigating the murder of Praveen Nettare, a BJP Yuva Morcha activist in Bellare town in Karnataka's Dakshina Kannada district, the agency found that the primary intention was to create terror in the minds of the Hindu community.

A similar pattern was found in the murders of Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur, Umesh Kolhe in Amaravati, Rudresh in Bengaluru, Harsha in Shivamogga. While at first it was made to look that the sole purpose was revenge, the probes have found that the larger goal was to create terror in the minds of the Hindu community.

They are following the textbook that is being followed against the Kashmiri Pandits, an Intelligence Bureau official told OneIndia. In the Nettare case, the accused Zakir Savanur, Sheik Saddam, Mohammad Harris and Mohammad Shafeeq told investigators that while the primary reason was to avenge the killing of Masood, the larger goal was to spread panic and create terror in the minds of the locals.

While South India has witnessed plenty of such cases, there have been similar incidents in the north as well. In Punjab too, the NIA had found that Hindu leaders were being singled out and targeted by the ISI-backed Khalistan forces.

In Gujarat too, the agencies had busted a module set up by fugitive underworld don, Dawood Ibrahim at the behest of the ISI to target Hindu leaders. The NIA also busted a module in Mumbai following which it was learnt that the target were members of the RSS and VHP.

South India has reported several cases relating to the killing and targeting of Hindu leaders. In 2020, the NIA raided 25 locations in South India in connection with an Islamic State case.

The case pertained to a criminal conspiracy with an objective of murdering Hindu Leaders, creating communal riots and to do anti-national activities by forming a terrorist gang, being inspired by ISIS, a proscribed terrorist organisation.

In Jammu and Kashmir, the task of targeting the Pandits has been handed over to the Lashkar-e-Tayiba's The Resistence Front. There has been a rise in the number of such cases and only this week, another was reported in Jammu and Kashmir.

If one looks at the probe papers closely, it becomes clear that the intention is to spread terror and panic in the minds of the Hindu community. Be it Nettare, Rudresh, Harsha and many others, the intention is clear and that is keep the Hindu community on tenterhooks.