MP Capt. Chowta Demands NIA Probe in Suhas Shetty Murder Case

Mangaluru: Dakshina Kannada MP Capt. Brijesh Chowta has accused the Congress government of obstructing justice by refusing to transfer the investigation of Suhas Shetty’s murder to the NIA. He alleged that the state is shielding radical elements tied to SDPI and PFI.

Chowta highlighted the state’s pattern of dismissing ideologically driven crimes as personal disputes, citing the Praveen Nettaru case where NIA arrests exposed PFI’s continued activity. He criticised Congress leaders, including Speaker U T Khader and Home Minister G Parameshwar, for pre-emptively downplaying the murder’s motives. Capt. Chowta questioned their haste to clear suspects and label Shetty a “rowdy sheeter” to obscure the truth.

In a media interaction, Capt. Chowta pointed to a nexus between Congress, SDPI, and the banned PFI, referencing a 2023 media report that revealed PFI cadres regrouping under SDPI. He claimed these groups operate with impunity under Congress rule, using anonymity and remittances, and demanded an NIA probe to uncover the ideological roots of Shetty’s killing.

Capt. Chowta challenged the Congress government’s credibility, noting that 58% of its 2023 election candidates faced criminal charges and mocking Deputy CM D K Shivakumar’s 19 pending cases. Labelling Home Minister Parameshwar a “clean chit minister” and Congress a “rowdy sheeter party,” he insisted that Karnataka deserves transparent investigations, urging the state to stop protecting extremists and hand the case to the NIA for impartial justice.