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As the killing of Bajrang Dal member Harsha has heightened tensions in Karnataka's Shivamogga district, the sister of the deceased on Tuesday, 22 February, said that the family seeks justice. She shared that her brother never used his surname, and was known as 'Harsha Hindu.'
"His full name is Harsha Jingade. But he wasn’t the type to use his surname. He was known everywhere as just Harsha… Harsha Hindu. I don’t know what else to say. I don’t have a brother now. I seek justice. I am just going for the funeral now. The netas have promised to deliver justice. We are not ourselves now," Harha's sister Ashwini said on Tuesday.
"Brothers... All of you are children of your parents. Parents face a lot of problems for your future. Please be careful. Don't make your life like Harsha. I don't want to point to any religion, any caste. All of you are brothers and sisters," Ashwini further said.
The deceased's mother, Padma, has requested state Home Minister Araga Jnanendra to ensure justice for the murder.
"Please help us. Save us," the deceased's mother, Padma, was heard saying to the home minister in a video from the hospital on Monday.
Twenty-six-year-old Bajrang Dal activist Harsha had been stabbed to death by assailants late on Sunday, at the Bharathi Colony in Shivamogga.
A total of six persons – Mohammed Kashif, Sayed Nadeem, Afsifullah Khan, Rehan Sharef, Nihan, and Abdul Afnan – have been arrested, and 12 are being questioned in connection with the murder, the police said on Tuesday.
The kin of Syed Nadeem have denied any knowledge of the accused's links to the murder. His mother, Parveen Taj, has said that Nadeem had been unwell on Sunday, and had not stepped out of the house at all.
CCTV footage that has emerged from the intervening night between Sunday and Monday shows the police capturing one man from the neighbourhood where the Bajrang Dal activist was stabbed late in the night.
The clip, that was recorded at a little after 3 am on Monday, shows the man being searched by a number of police personnel, and then being led away by them.
Meanwhile, Section 144 was imposed in Shivamogga following the tensions on Monday, and will remain effective till Friday morning, Karnataka deputy commissioner said on Tuesday. Schools will also be shut for another two days.
Though Harsha had been a part of the protest demanding a ban on hijabs held on 7 February outside a college in Shivamogga, the reason behind the killing has not yet been ascertained.
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