Section 144 of CrPC, which bars the assembly of five or more people in an area, has been extended by two more days till Friday morning, said Dr. Selvamani R, Deputy Commissioner, Shivamogga district. Schools will remain shut during this period, he added.

The murder of 26-year-old Harsha Nagara (alias Hindu Harsha or Harsha Bajrangi) led to arson and stone-throwing in the city during the funeral procession on Monday afternoon. He died after he was attacked by a gang of youths that waylaid him when he stepped out of his home in the communally sensitive area on Sunday night.

The arrested six accused have been identified as Mohammed Kashif, Sayed Nadeem, Afsifullah Khan, Rehan Sharef, Nihan, Abdul Afnan, Shivamogga SP Laxmi Prassad said.

Although a social media post with ‘derogatory’ references to Islam ‘relating to Hijab’ has been attributed as a possible motive for the murder, sources described it as an “old issue” and said that a case had been filed against Harsha when the communal clashes occurred between Hindus and Muslims in 2020.

According to local police records, Harsha was involved in multiple cases of violence, including an incident of rioting in December 2020, when merchants at a cloth market in the city were attacked by a mob of pro-Hindutva activists following a communal flare-up. As a matter of fact, Harsha have been trying till he breathed last for a Hindu resistance against the growing Jihadi upheaval in Shivamogga areas.

Amidst the Hijab row in many parts of the state, the murder of Hindu activist Harsha Nagara by Jihadi goons sparked a new communal situation in BJP ruled Karnataka.

Karnataka Revenue Minister R Ashoka said the murder has a link with the ongoing Hijab row in the state. “This murder happened when the Hijab controversy started. It is evident that there is a link between this murder and the Hijab row,” Ashoka said.

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__Agencies. / Video Courtesy: Times Now.