In a twist to the incident of the attempted attack on a Bajrang Dal activist, which has taken a communal turn, the accused has told the Karnataka police that the activist had been pestering his sister for a long time.
The police have taken three persons into custody for the attempt on the life of the Bajrang Dal activist in Sagar town of Shivamogga district.
Mithun Kumar, Superintendent of Police of Shivamogga, said that they have taken the main accused Sameer, Imiyaan and Mansoor into custody.
The prime accused has told the police that Bajrang Dal activist Sunil was pestering his sister for the last three months. He also told the police that Sunil had asked for the telephone number of his sister, Kumar stated.
Sameer said that the attempt was made in this backdrop. Despite many warnings from Sameer, Sunil continued troubling his sister. On Monday, Sunil who was on a bike met Sameer and chided him, Kumar said.
Sameer is a shepherd and carried a machete to cut branches from the trees for the sheep and used that weapon to attack Sunil, he stated. The role of his friends will become clear during the investigation, the SP said.
Meanwhile, Bajrang Dal and Hindu activists called for a bandh in Sagar town over the incident. Shops were closed and a protest march was taken out. The police have beefed up security in the town.
The 28-year-old Sunil, a resident of Upparakeri in Sagar, had managed to escape the attack by Sameer who allegedly tried to hit him with a machete and had even chased him on a bike.
Activists claimed that Sunil and Sameer had fought earlier over the issue of hijab and developed an enmity. Sameer had allegedly threatened Sunil on Sunday and tried to attack him on Monday.
Hundreds of Bajrang Dal activists had gathered before the Sagar police station and staged a protest condemning the incident on Monday.
Shivamogga district has witnessed bitter communal incidents in the past. Miscreants had hacked Bajrang Dal activist Harsha following the hijab crisis in Shivamogga city. The city had witnessed a series of stabbing incidents later.
(With inputs from IANS)
