Man accused of murdering Bajrang Dal’s Prashant Poojary killed in Mysuru jail

The deceased, Mustafa, was stabbed with a serving spoon, police said.

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In a case of suspected revenge killing, an undertrial accused of murdering a Bajrang Dal activist was murdered in Mysuru Central Jail on Thursday.

Holding a media conference, Mysuru Police Commissioner AS Rao said that the incident occurred at 1pm. An under trial named Kiran Shetty is said to have stabbed Mustafa with a serving spoon after the duo had an altercation in the kitchen. “He was taken to KR Hospital at 2.30 pm, where the doctors declared him brought dead,” he said.

Rao said that Musthafa, who is from Moodbidre in Dakshina Kannada district, was one of the accused in Bajrang Dal activist Prashant Poojary’s murder in 2015.

On October 9, 2015, Prashant Poojary (29), a flower seller, was stabbed by six motorcycle-borne men. The only witness to the controversial murder, Vaman Poojary allegedly committed suicide six days after the incident.

Dakshina Kannada police have arrested eight people, suspected to be PFI activists, in connection with the murder of Poojary.

On his death bed, Poojary allegedly named four people who were involved in the attack, while talking to his father. On October 21 that year, police arrested Mohammad Sharif and Mohammad Mustafa (both named by Prashant), Kabir and Mustafa Kavoor.

On October 18, police had arrested Mohammud Haneef (36) and Mohammud Ilyas (27), Ibrahmin Liyaqat (26) and Abdul Rasheed (39).

The murder in Mysuru jail comes a year after a similar murder was carried out in the Dakshina Kannada sub-jail in Mangaluru in November 2015. Madoor Isubu and his associate Ganesh Shetty were killed after a fight broke out between two groups in the jail, which is notorious for communal tensions.

Then, the police said that Isubu was attacked with a knife and stabbed 40 times. Ganesh, who was known to be friendly with Isubu, had attempted to help him, and was also killed.