After mob violence in Shivamogga, locals clearing the debris

A day after the murder of a Bajrang Dal worker sparked violent demonstrations and mob violence in the Karnataka district of Shivamogga, around 250 kilometers from Bengaluru, police monitored the streets. On the OT Road, just off the popular city circle, residents cleaning stones and debris from outside their homes recalled how a crowd stormed their homes throughout Monday.

KS Eshwarappa, the Karnataka minister for rural development and Panchayati Raj, claimed on Monday that Muslims were involved in the death of a Bajrang Dal activist on Sunday night, despite the fact that police had made no statement to that effect.

Harsha, Eshwarappa, who claimed Muslim anti-social forces were responsible for the activist's death, told reporters on Monday, "I'm very disturbed by the murder of a Bajrang Dal activist... Now I'm off to Shivamogga to analyze the situation. "'Goondaism' will not be tolerated."

A local businessman, Mohammed Ali, said: “We were not home and did not expect it to go down like this.”

Two of his scooters, a car, and his residence were all attacked by the mob.

Harsha, a 26-year-old worker, was killed by an unnamed gang of men on Sunday night, sparking the mayhem. On Monday, the Karnataka Police Department announced that three males from Bengaluru had been arrested in connection with the murder. Even though Harsha's family and some ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders labeled the murder a hate crime motivated by religious identity, state home minister Araga Jnanendra refused to name them.

The murder occurred amid tensions in the state over the hijab prohibition. Several communities were engulfed in riots, with mobs pelting stones and causing damage to houses and businesses.

Another Shivamogga resident, Aslam Pasha, 59, claimed they were bearing the brunt of political figures' utterances, such as state minister KS Eshwarappa and Sri Rama Sene President Pramod Muthalik.

Another homeowner charged at Pasha as he spoke to HT, alleging that concrete blocks put outside the former's godown were used to damage their homes. the man explained. Pasha stated that he could not conceive such a thing happening. Soon after, a jeep came to a halt, and the officers inside defused the situation. “Put those stones inside right now. They used those stones to damage everything here.”

Basavaraj Bommai, the chief minister, stated that police have information on the offenders. “They will be nabbed as soon as possible. I have directed the police authorities to prevent any untoward incident in Shivamogga,” 

Harsha's picture has been placed on a temple in the centre of a circle in Seegehatti, just a few meters from his home, with the word "Hindu" in brackets. As emotions in the region remained high, a significant detachment of anti-riot Rapid Action Force and local police were dispatched with anti-riot gear.

On Monday, Prathap Simha, a BJP Member of Parliament from Mysuru-Kodagu, lashed out at the state government led by Basavaraj Bommai, calling it "shameful" that a "Hindu" worker of the party was assassinated under its own administration. He admitted that seeing Harsha's body was extremely distressing, but that it was also shameful that the situation had not improved since the BJP took office.

He went on to say that the party's words of maintaining peace despite the infractions during the hijab issue, but lack of action, makes it tougher for workers to believe it. “For Harsha, they said that they will take strict action, and will our workers believe this? When will we take action? This is why I feel ashamed,” the MP said.