Shivamogga murder: Compensation of Rs 2 lakh announced for Harsha's kin by BJP MLA

A compensation of Rs 2 lakh has been announced for the family members of Bajrang Dal activist Harsha, who was hacked to death in Karnataka's Shivamogga. The announcement has been made by MP Renukacharya, BJP MLA from Honnali, Karnataka. Speaking to reporters, Renukacharya lamented the murder of the 26-year-old and affirmed his support to the bereaved family.

On Sunday night, 26-year-old Bajrang Dal activist Harsha was hacked to death in Shivamogga by unknown assailants. While the saffron worker was immediately taken to the hospital, he was declared dead on arrival, said the police. In the aftermath of the murder, several Bajrang Dal workers gathered outside the hospital to protest. Section 144 has been imposed in Shivamogga and the police are probing the case. 

3 arrested, Hijab row angle suspected

Earlier today, Karnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra addressed a press conference assuring the arrest of all those involved in the killing. Speaking to reporters, the Karnataka Home Minister announced that 3 arrests had already been made in the case, and interrogation of the accused would reveal the truth behind the killing. 

He added, "We won't allow protests to spread, we have enough security forces including RAF. Personnel from Bengaluru are also being sent. We don't have information on who has committed to crime, how many are involved. As for my information, 5 are involved. Exactly how many more people or those behind executing this plan, we will only know after investigation. If we have to ban any organization, we will see. Only after investigation, will we know who is behind this."

Speaking exclusively to Republic TV, the state Home Minister also suspected that there could be an alleged link between the ongoing Hijab row in the state and the Shivamogga case. On February 7, a post was shared by Harsha expressing his stance on the Hijab row debate. In a photo shared by the victim, workers were seen sitting with saffron shawls. Reacting to this, Jnanendra said, "There is a suspicion that there could be a link between the post shared by Harsha on the Hijab row, and his murder."