A BJP member named Srinivas Prasad, alias Kithaganahalli Vasu, was reportedly killed by unidentified assailants near the Bommasandra BTL College under the Bengaluru Rural police limits early on Tuesday morning. The police have registered a case in this regard and probing the incident.
Also read: Bengaluru shooting: APMC president shot in broad daylight in northern part of city
Vasu was reportedly travelling in his car towards Hosur Road in Bengaluru, where he usually went for a morning walk, when the assailants, also travelling in a car, stopped his vehicle, pulled him out of his car and then hacked him to death with machetes.
Union Minister for Chemicals, Fertilisers and Parliamentary Affairs Ananth Kumar, who hails from Karnataka, said of the murder: "We condemn the incident. The Siddaramaiah government [in power in Karnataka] should take immediate action on it.
Kerala connection?
Tuesday's attack in Karnataka comes just days after quite a few RSS and BJP workers were attacked in Kerala — and some of them killed — in what was being seen there as a political tussle between the Left parties and the right-wingers taking a violent turn.
Given that the BJP, having strengthened its hold on northern India by winning the UP Assembly election and making inroads in the North-East, could now be looking to foray into southern India once again, it would not be amiss to assume that there would be political opposition against the saffron party. However, it would be of grave concern if that opposition took the form of physical attacks.
It may be mentioned here that an RSS member had been shot dead in broad daylight in Bengaluru in October last year, leading to strong reactions from local and national BJP and RSS leaders. Even back then, there had been speculation on connections between the murder and violence against RSS and BJP members in Kerala preceding it.
