RSS worker's murder: Attacks aimed at creating communal tension in Karnataka?

Bengaluru: The broad daylight murder of Rudresh R., the 35-year-old mandal president of the Shivajinagar shakha of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from Shivajinagar unit, on Sunday in the city bears a “strong resemblance” with the murders of two other Right wing leaders in the state since 2015.

K. Raju, a VHP activist in Mysuru, was killed in March this year and the police have so far arrested six accused, including the two assailants. He was opposing the construction of a place of worship near his house. Last year, Prashanth Poojary of Bajrang Dal was hacked to death in Moodabidri in Dakshin Kannada for his alleged role in cow vigilantism. Nine accused were arrested in the case. In both cases, the accused reportedly owe allegiance to a South India-based frontal organisation, which claims to work for social empowerment of the marginalised and minorities.

“Rudresh’s murder has strong footprints of the earlier two murders. It was a premeditated and organised killing by a local sleeper cell of the frontal organisation, with a larger design to create communal unrest in Karnataka. The involvement of hired professional killers cannot be ruled out in the broad daylight murder of the RSS worker,” said an officer on condition of anonymity. The police, who had registered a criminal case under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (302) against the two unknown assailants, are now also investigating the conspiracy theory behind Rudresh’s murder.

The police, according to sources, are examining the similarities in the three murders in Karnataka and the murders of BJP/Right wing activists in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and other parts of the country, including Gujarat. The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is investigating the murders of BJP president of Bharuch and senior RSS member Shirish Bangali and general secretary of BJP Morcha Pragnesh Mistry by two unidentified gunmen in Gujarat in November 2015, has chargesheeted 10 accused, who are alleged members of the fugitive terrorist Dawood Ibrahim’s syndicate.

Last week, RSS worker Remith was hacked to death in Kannur in Kerala. Last month, C. Sasikumar, a leader of the Hindu Munnani (Hindu Front), a Right wing Hindu outfit in TN, was killed by unknown assailants in Thudiyalur, about 11 km from Coimbatore. In 2013, Hindu Munnani leader S. Vellaippan was murdered by gang of eight in Vellore, Salem. K.P. Suresh, district president of the Hindu Munnani Thiruvallur East district, was hacked to death by unknown killers.

Cops probe personal rivalry
The city police probing the murder of RSS functionary Rudresh R. from all angles, including his financial and land disputes, as he was into real estate and finance business.

Sources said that though the issue has turned political with BJP leaders accusing the role of some fundamental organisations behind the murder, prima facie, it appears to be a murder over personal rivalry. “We have questioned over 20 people so far. Rudresh too had cases against him. All those related to the old cases have been questioned. Also, the financial and land dealings of Rudresh over the last few months are being verified to know whether he had disputes with anyone,” an official said.

The police, however, strongly believe that it’s a very well planned murder. “We suspect that the killers had an idea that the murder could take on a political colour and the people would think it was anti-RSS. It is a known fact that if an RSS man is killed, it will garner attention and the issue will be politicised. The killers would have possibly taken advantage of it and executed their plan just after the RSS Path Sanchalan. It’s just a probability and we are probing the case from all angles,” the official said.

The footage recorded in more than 30 security cameras in the locality have been analysed. Some cameras have recorded the movement of the assailants, but the footage is not clear enough for the police to get the registration number of the bike used for the crime.

DG&IGP Om Prakash visited the scene of crime on Thursday, along with city Police Commissioner and other senior police officials.