Mangaluru: The BJP on Thursday announced a compensation of ₹25 lakh to the family of Suhas Shetty, a 33-year-old Hindu activist who was brutally murdered in Mangaluru, triggering unrest and a city-wide bandh. Karnataka BJP President B Y Vijayendra visited the bereaved family and consoled the parents of the deceased. Speaking to reporters, he alleged intelligence failure on the part of the Congress-led state government and demanded an NIA probe into what he called a targeted killing.

“Mangaluru is turning unsafe for Hindus under the Congress regime. Despite prior threats, Suhas was not given any protection. There are suspicious developments within the police department as well,” said Vijayendra. He further accused the administration of allowing a pattern of violence against Hindu activists since the government came to power.

The killing, which occurred on Wednesday night at Kinnikambla near Bajpe, has sent shockwaves across Dakshina Kannada district. Following calls for a bandh by Hindu organisations, the city remained shut on Thursday with businesses shuttered, public transport suspended, and incidents of stone-pelting reported in multiple neighbourhoods.

Prohibitory orders under Section 144 have been enforced across the district until May 6. The police have intensified deployment, with senior officers patrolling the city. The Mangaluru Police Commissionerate confirmed that three vehicles linked to the murder — an Innova, a Swift used by the assailants, and a fish transport van — have been seized. Lethal weapons were reportedly found in the Swift.

Shetty, a former Bajrang Dal member, was one of the accused in the 2022 murder of Fazil, a Muslim youth in Surathkal. Preliminary investigations suggest that the murder may have been in retaliation, with threats having surfaced on social media platforms weeks before the incident. A now-defunct Instagram page named “Target Killer” had uploaded images of Shetty alongside Fazil and other past accused, with messages such as “Revenge Soon”.

State ADGP (Law & Order) R Hitendra, who visited the crime scene, said that the police have secured vital leads and will act without leniency. He added that the victim was already on police radar due to his past involvement in violent incidents.

The incident has revived fears of communal reprisals in the region, which has a history of politically and communally sensitive cases.