AMN /
At least 8 people have been arrested for the murder of Prashant Poojary, a Bajrang Dal activist in Moodbidri in coastal Karnataka early this month.
He was killed allegedly for trying to stop illegal cow slaughter by a pro-Muslim group.
Mr Poojary on October 9 was attacked by 6 people in broad daylight in a marketplace. Poojary died the same day of his injuries.
This incident added to an underlying communal tension in the volatile area with allegations that it was related to the campaign against cow slaughter.
Earlier this year, he had been also charged with rioting after forcefully stopping cattle transport.
“So far we have identified 11 culprits, out of which 8 have been arrested. They were members of the PFI. What was the motive for to do this, it is subject to investigation and we will wait for the other three fellows to be arrested,” Karnataka Director General of Police Om Prakash told media.
Last month a Muslim man named Mohammad Akhlaq, 52, was lynched by a mob in Uttar Pradesh’s Dadri allegedly over rumours that his family had consumed beef. Later forensic tests disproved the rumours.