Udupi: In a shocking incident, a group of miscreants belonging to Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal beat up a youth to death for involving in illegal cow transportation near Hebri village in Karkala taluk of Udupi district last night.
The miscreants came to know that the ill-fated cow trafficker was also an activist of Bhartiya Janata Party only after the attack.
The BJP activist Praveen Poojary (29), a resident of Kenjur and cattle trader by profession, breathed his last in a hospital, hours after the attack. His aide Akshay Devadiga (22), who was also injured in the attack, is undergoing treatment at a hospital.
The incident occurred at around 7:30 p.m. when Praveen Poojary was loading three cows into a Tata Ace for transportation at Kadike in Santhekatte near Hebri village. Akshay Devadiga was also present.
On receiving the information, nearly 30 VHP and Bajrang Dal activists surrounded the vehicle and attacked Poojary with lethal weapons. Devadiga, who came to his recue, was also assaulted brutally by the miscreants.
The assailants left the spot only after Poojary revealed that he was a BJP worker and had campaigned for the saffron party during last Lok Sabha elections. Though Poojary and Devadiga were rushed to a hospital by local residents, the former breathed his last without responding to any treatment.
Udupi SP KP Balakrishna confirmed to Coastaldigest.com that 18 persons have been arrested for their involvement in the attack. It is learnt that he attack was led by Arvind Sherigar, a VHP member, who runs a petrol bunk.
The Udupi district unit of BJP, which always encouraged the violent acts so of called gau rakshaks, is now in a dilemma as they have killed their own man.
(Agencies)
