Following the three back-to-back murders in Karnataka's Dakshina Kannada, men will not be allowed to ride pillion on the streets of Dakshina Kannada and Mangaluru. The order was issued by Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Law and Order, Alok Kumar, and states that the ban on male pillion riders will be in effect from 6 am to 6 pm for a week. The order comes even as curfew under Section 144 of the CrPC is in effect in Bantwal, Belthangady, Puttur, Kadaba and Sullia taluks till midnight on August 6.
Addressing the reporters, ADGP Alok Kumar said, "We have decided that young men riding pillion on two-wheelers won't be permitted for a week after the night time curfew is revoked. A directive will be issued stating no one except women, elderly and children (below 18 years) are allowed to pillion ride in two-wheelers." He also said that he discussed the three murder investigations with the concerned police officers, and that they are monitoring suspects with a history of criminal cases. He further informed, "We have put the suspects in the Fazil murder case into custody. The investigation is ongoing under ACP Mahesh Kumar. We will file the charge sheet after the investigation is completed. I will go to Bellare as well to see how the situation has developed."
Prohibitory orders under Section 144 were imposed on Dakshina Kannada by Deputy Commissioner KV Rajendra, which will be in place till August 6 midnight. A strict restriction has been placed against organising processions and meetings in public places. The order also prohibits the assembly of five or more people in public places.
The police have begun monitoring social media accounts and have issued warnings against people posting sensitive messages connected to the murders. A case has been filed in Cyber, Economics and Narcotics offenses (CEN) Police station in Udupi against a man for uploading communally inflammatory posts on social media. According to reports, the accused, Laxmikantha Byndoor is said to have glorified the killers of Fazil and praised them in his post.
Tension has gripped Dakshina Kannada after the back-to-back murders of three youths — Masood, BJP Yuva Morcha member Praveen Nettaru and Mohammed Fazil — in July. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said that he will pay a visit to the families of the three individuals who were killed. Recently, the police arrested six people in Fazil’s murder case, and said that they all had common links. Police added that the group had observed Fazil for a day before killing him, and that he was specifically targetted.
Read about how they carried off the attack: Six arrested for Fazil murder in Karnataka, police say it was pre-planned