Police lathicharge those protesting against murder of BJP leader in Dakshina Kannada

Police resorted to lathicharge the crowd queuing up in large numbers to pay their final respects to departed soul of BJP Yuva Morcha committee member Praveen Nettaru in Bellare, Karnataka on Wednesday.

A crowd also gheaored RSS leader Dr Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat, BJP state President Nalin Kumar Kateel who had arrived in Bellare to pay their final respects.

Angry youth even went to the extent of toppling a car. After intervention of senior leaders, the crowd ran away after puncturing the tyres of a car.

Security has been beefed up across the communally sensitive district following the murder. Police have formed four separate teams to nab the culprits. The incident has threatened to take a communal turn with suspicions being raised by right wing outfits that the murder is in retaliation for another killing of a youth belonging to minority community in the same locality recently.

Stone Pelting, schools shut

Movement of private buses in Puttur, Sullia and Kadaba taluks came to a grinding halt after miscreants pelted stones at a KSRTC bus in Bolwaru near Puttur after the BJP Yuva Morcha leader's death.

Sensing trouble, a few private colleges like Vivekananda English medium school declared holiday for students. In the absence of bus services, students and those commuting to their workplaces were left stranded. Shops and establishments in Puttur and Sullia taluks were shut.

(With inputs from PTI)