MANGALURU: Dakshina Kannada BJP president Sathish Kumpala has made serious allegations against Karnataka Assembly Speaker UT Khader, claiming a connection to the murder of Suhas Shetty. Addressing the media with BJP MLAs, Kumpala demanded Khader’s resignation and called for a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe into the case.

Kumpala alleged that Khader issued a public statement in favour of the family of Mohammed Fazil—who was murdered in 2022—just after Shetty’s murder, which raised suspicions. Though Khader later denied ties with the Fazil family, Kumpala insisted that there are indirect links and demanded an investigation into two suspects—Nagaraj and Ranjith—arrested from Kalasa.

Referring to a dinner party allegedly held before the murder, Kumpala said social media posts showed key accused and Mohammed Musthafa, a homestay owner, present at the event. He pointed out that Musthafa had recently organised a cricket tournament attended by Khader and Congress leader Inayath Ali. This, he said, warrants a deeper probe into Musthafa’s role.

He also claimed Nagaraj and Ranjith worked for Musthafa, who is allegedly involved in drug trafficking. According to Kumpala, police have withheld information about others, including two women seen at the crime scene, and financial backers. He even alleged that the ₹25 lakh ex gratia given to Fazil’s family by the Congress government might have been misused to fund Shetty’s murder.