KARWAR: A tense situation prevailed at the riot-torn Honnavar town in

on Friday, after the body of a missing person was recovered from a lake adjacent to the Shanaishchara temple in the town, after Wednesday night’s violence. The body of the deceased was taken out in a procession in Honnavar town, amid tight security on Friday evening.

Paresh Mesta, 21, was missing since Wednesday night, after he reportedly tried to escape from stone pelting by a mob belonging to a particular community. Rumours circulated in the town that he was abducted by members of the community. Leaders of different Hindu organizations had issued an ultimatum to find him on Thursday. His body was found floating in the Shettikeri lake on Friday. Police suspect that he might have accidentally fallen in the lake while escaping from a rioting mob, and died.

Paresh’s relatives allege that he was abducted and murdered by the members of another community. They said Paresh belonged to the Fishermen community, and was an expert swimmer, and that there was no chance that he would drown in the lake. There were rumours that his body bore the marks of attacks by a sharp weapon. The postmortem of the body was conducted in the government hospital in Honnavar, and the reasons behind the death is yet to be ascertained.

On Thursday evening, there were reports of stone pelting in rural areas of Honnavar taluk. Heavy police deployment was done after the recovery of the body by the police. The entire incident of the communal clash in Honnavar, while chief minister

was present in the district, has embarrassed the police department. More than 1,000 police personnel from different districts have been moved to Honnavar to maintain law and order.

Hindu groups alleged that the violence was pre-planned, and that an altercation between a motorbike rider and autorickshaw driver over a small accident, snowballed into a major confrontation. Soon after the incident, mobs wielding swords, sticks and stones, attacked the houses and shops belonging to a particular community.

Police have warned rumour-mongers of strict action, if they try to foment any more trouble. Meanwhile, there are complaints that the police acted in a partisan manner, and arrested people belonging to a particular community. Police have denied the allegation, that they allowed 200 people belonging to a particular community to come by train. Rumours on social media is adding fuel to the fire, said sources.

Several

and Sangh Parivar leaders visited the house of Paresh. Union minister Anant Kumar Hegde, MP Shobha Karandlaje, Vishweshwar Hedge Kageri, Shivanand Naik and others visited the house of Paresh, and consoled the deceased’s kin.

The dispute over a piece of land near the Shanaishchara temple, between two communities, has snowballed into a major confrontation in the town, said sources. So far, police have arrested 40 people, including the former president of the Honnavar town panchayat, in this connection.