Karnataka police personnel. (Representative image)
Credit: DH Photo
Mangaluru: The Karnataka Control of Organised Crime Act (KCOCA), 2000, has been invoked against Hindutva activist Bharat Raj alias Bharat Kumdelu (29), a resident of Pudu village, in connection with the murder of Abdul Rehman in Bantwal Rural Police Station limits on May 27. Bharat is currently absconding.
The police had initially registered a case under BNS Sections 103(1), 109(1), 118(1), 118(2), 61(2)(a), 249(a), 238(a), along with Section 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 25(1)(a) of the Indian Arms Act, 1959. During the course of investigation, 13 persons were arrested and produced before the court, which remanded them in judicial custody.
According to police, Bharat has been involved in several unlawful activities for years, including murder, attempt to murder, and inflammatory speeches, causing unrest and communal tension.