Praveen Nettaru murder case: NIA arrests 21st accused
New Delhi, Jan 21 (PTI): The NIA has arrested an accused in connection with the murder of Karnataka BJP Yuva Morcha member Praveen Nettaru allegedly by members of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) in 2022, officials said Tuesday.
Ateeq Ahmed became the 21st accused to be arrested in the case, they said.
It is alleged that Ahmed had "harboured and assisted" Mustafa Paichar, the main conspirator of the killing of Nettaru in Bellare village.
Mansoor Pasha and Riyaz HY allegedly harboured Paichar, and who had conspired, recced and identified Nettaru to be eliminated at a public place on July 27, 2022 with an intention to strike terror among the people, the NIA had said earlier.
"Mustafa had planned and executed the murder," the NIA said in a statement on Tuesday.
Taking over from Karnataka Police, the NIA had re-registered the case on August 4, 2022 under various provisions of UA(P) Act and IPC.
Mustafa had absconded after killing Nettaru with the help of Ateeq, who had facilitated his movement and ferried him to Chennai, the agency said.
"Ateeq had helped Mustafa evade law enforcement till the latter's arrest in May 2024," the statement said.
The agency is continuing with its investigation to trace the remaining six accused, against whom rewards have been announced, it said.
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Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
