'Kafir Bajrang Dal Wale Ko Maro': Slogan by radical Islamists who murdered Harsha

According to the NIA probe, absolute hatred towards Hindus and an intention to create terror in the minds of the Hindu community are two main reasons behind the Shivamogga murder

New Delhi, Sep 07: 'Kafir Bajrang Dal Wale Ko Maro,' this was the slogan raised by the Islamist radicals while killing Bajrang Dal activist Harsha in Shivamogga, Karnataka. The slogan when translated into English means, 'kill the infidel Bajrang Dal men'.

It was the absolute hatred that these accused persons developed towards Hindus that made them form a gang, conspire and then kill Harsha, the NIA said. The agency said that another intention was to create terror in the minds of the Hindu community.

While the chargesheet in the Harsha murder case speaks about a larger conspiracy against the Hindus, the agency has found similar patterns in the murders of Kanhaiya Lal, Umesh Kolhe and Praveen Nettar. The accused persons have picked up certain issues to commit the murder but the intention was a larger one.

The NIA, in its chargesheet filed in the Harsha murder case, says that the accused had developed hatred towards the Hindu community and this incident took place amidst the hijab row in the state.

The accused in particular wanted to target Bajrang Dal activists. They developed enmity towards the Hindu community during the anti NRC and CAA protests, hijab row and cow preservation activities by the Bajrang Dal activists. It is for these reasons that they conspired to create terror among the people of the Hindu community and create communal disharmony, ill-will and hatred among the people of the Hindu and Muslim community, the chargesheet also said.

The accused kept a tab on the movement of prominent Hindu community members in Shivamogga during processions, celebrations and functions. The accused zeroed in on Harsha and to create terror among the Hindus, they conducted a recce and got weapons to kill him.

On the day of offence after tracing Harsha alias Hindu Harsha, the accused chased him on a public road with machetes in their hands and then assaulted him in full public view while shouting 'Kafir Bajrang Dal Wale Ko Maro,' the NIA said while adding that the accused persons formed a gang, conspired and hacked Harsha to death in order to create terror.

The chargesheet before the special court was filed at a time when the NIA is also probing another case in Karnataka relating to a Hindu activist. On Tuesday, the agency conducted raids in multiple locations in Mangaluru in connection with the murder of Praveen Nettar.

In this case, the NIA has found the role of hit-squads which have been formed to target Hindu activists. These hit squads are formed on the directive of the Islamic courts, an Intelligence Bureau official tells OneIndia. While these squads formed in Maharashtra, Udaipur or Karnataka may not be directly linked, they have one common goal and take directives from the same set of radical elements. The only motive is to create terror in the minds of the Hindu community, the official cited above also said.