Why radicals have a field day in South India targeting Hindu leaders

New Delhi, Mar 07: With the Karnataka police invoking the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967 in the case relating to the murder of a Bajrang Dal worker in Karnataka, there is a likelihood of the National Investigation Agency taking over the probe.

The UAPA is usually invoked when there is a suspicion of a larger conspiracy which could potentially threaten national security. Shivamogga resident, Harsha was hacked to death by a group of men and the police suspect that this could be due to an ongoing feud since 2016.

While prime facie the police feel that this was due to a rivalry, the fact that this incident took place during the hijab issue is something that would require a closer look.

The UAPA in Karnataka has been invoked in the past several times. The UAPA was invoked in the murder case of RSS worker, Rudresh in Bengaluru. The same was also invoked against one Abid Pasha in Mysuru, for his alleged involvement in six murders. All these cases were handed over to the NIA to probe the larger conspiracy.

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. The members of the terrorist gang conducted meetings at Bengaluru and other parts of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and propagated ISIS ideology, procured arms and ammunition and other incriminating material for executing their plans.

In this case 5 accused namely Mehaboob Pasha, Mohammed Mansoor Ali Khan, Saleem Khan, Zabiulla, Syed Azmathulla were arrested earlier and other accused are absconding.

In 2019, the NIA took over the the probe into the Ramalingam murder case. he arrested was identified as one Shali alias Muden Ahmed Shali, a 51 year old resident of Thenkasi, Tamil Nadu. Earlier the NIA had arrested Mohammad Faruk, near Trichy. The case pertains to the brutal attack and murder of Ramalingam by radical Islamists on February 5 2019.

Muden Ahmed Shali was head of the dawah team that had entered into an altercation with Ramalingam on the morning of 5th February, 2019 and the accused had also participated in the subsequent conspiracy meetings, wherein it was decided to attack Ramalingam, the NIA said.
The NIA in a dossier speaks about the Darul Khada an outfit comprising Muslim scholars, social workers and advocates. The NIA says that they run a parallel judiciary which settles a host of issues. The NIA dossier also states that in July 2009, a Kerala level declaration was passed by the Darul Khada in Malappuram in which it had called upon the Muslim community not to attend civil courts, but get all issues sorted out by it.