Man killed by four in Bengaluru; BJP says he was its worker

A 28-year-old man was allegedly stabbed to death by four persons here with BJP claiming him to be its worker and slamming the Karnataka government for law and order 'failure'.
The state BJP in a tweet said: "Another BJP karyakarta is killed in Karnataka. This isn't just political violence, this is political terrorism, the same kind that we see in Pakistan."
The state government dismissed the claim that the man was a BJP worker and accused the opposition party of attempting to score brownie points ahead of assembly elections to be held in the next few months.
Police said Santhosh, an autorickshaw driver and involved in small scale money lending, was stabbed to death last night by four persons with whom he had "previous enmity".

He was attacked while returning home from a party, they said adding all the four assailants, identified as Wasim, Philips, Irfan and Umar, had been arrested.
Bengaluru North Deputy Commissioner of Police Chetan Singh Rathore said there was an altercation between Santhosh and Wasim some months ago.

"Santhosh had accused Wasim of selling ganja in the area and had asked him to stop his activities," he said.
Earlier, hours after the death, it claimed Santhosh was its worker and the incident took place when he was putting up party flags and buntings in Chennappa Garden area for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the city on February 4.

"Santhosh was found dead in a pool of blood after he was hacked near Channappa Garden, JC Nagar, Bengaluru. When will this cycle of violence stop in Karnataka Santosh was stabbed in the thigh and died during treatment," it tweeted.
The incident also led to a war of words between Union Minister and BJP leader D V Sadananda Gowda and Karnataka Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy.
Gowda slammed the Karnataka government for its "failure" on the law and order front.
"I strongly condemn the inefficient home department, which has scant respect for human lives. This is the gross administrative failure," he said in a tweet.

Reacting sharply, Reddy said Gowda was aiming at gaining some brownie points ahead of Karnataka assembly elections by calling Santhosh a BJP worker and said it was "a lie".
A series of killings of Hindu activists in the state in recent months especially in Dakshina Kannada district has triggered a political slugfest between the BJP and ruling Congress.
On January 3, Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad supporter Deepak Rao (28) was killed, triggering tension in Dakshina Kannada district and leading to 'retaliatory' attack that claimed the life of 47-year old Basheer
BJP has been accusing the Congress government of allowing "jihadi forces" to have a field day and indulge in "wanton killings" of Hindu workers in pursuance of "vote-bank politics" and minority appeasement.

The Congress had charged the BJP with polarising the sensitive situation in the coastal region with an eye on the upcoming Assembly polls.