Police file charge-sheet against 13 in Deepak Rao murder

The city police have filed before the Second Judicial Magistrate First Class Court a charge-sheet against 13 persons allegedly involved in the murder of 30-year-old Bharatiya Janata Party activist Deepak Rao here early this year.

Rao, who worked for a mobile recharge service outlet, was hacked to death by a group of persons in Krishapura Katipalla near Surathkal on January 3.

This led to the murder of Mohammed Basheer in Kottara Chowki on the night of January 3.

The police have named Mohammed Nawaz alias Pinky Nawaz, Rizwan, Mohammed Noushad, Mohammed Irfan, Abdul Aziz, Abdul Azeem, Mohammed Rafiq alias Mango Rafiq, Irfan, Mohammed Anas, Mohammed Zahid, Hidayatullah, Imran and Safwan in the charge-sheet.

All the 13 are accused of an offence under 302 of the Indian Penal Code. While Safwan is reportedly at large, the remaining accused are in judicial custody.

500-page charge-sheet

The 500-page charge-sheet was filed by investigation officer and Assistant Commissioner of Police Manjunath Shetty on March 31.

According to the charge-sheet, Mohammed Nawaz led a team which reportedly attacked Bharath Raj in 2016. Nawaz and his team members were apprehending a retaliatory attack by anti-social elements belonging to the Hindu community. Nawaz and his team members had also made a few unsuccessful attempts to attack a few of members from the rival gang.

The charge-sheet said that there was a clash between Muslim and Hindu groups in Katipalla over putting up buntings in Katipalla on December 27, 2017.

The accused used this opportunity to murder a person from the Hindu community and selected Rao, who was involved in the activities of the Bajrang Dal in Surathkal. Rao was among the members of the group that clashed on December 27. The accused hacked Rao to death on January 3.