Constable files complaint after false murder links and hate campaign spark tensions

MANGALURU: Rasheed M Sheikh, a head constable stationed at the Bajpe police station, has lodged a formal complaint following a wave of defamatory accusations that linked him to the recent murder of Suhas Shetty. The complaint highlights both online and offline attempts to damage his reputation and provoke unrest.

According to Sheikh, while he was on duty around 5 PM on May 5, his colleagues alerted him to a troubling WhatsApp status shared by a resident of Moodbidri. The post questioned when Sheikh would be arrested for his alleged role in the crime—an accusation he calls baseless and malicious.

The constable further claimed that several social media messages and posts have circulated, suggesting he aided the individuals accused in the Shetty murder case. He emphasized that these claims are fabricated and aim to falsely implicate him and the Bajpe police team.

Adding to the controversy, reports appeared on various online news platforms, and Hindu Jagaran Vedike leader KT Ullas made public allegations that Sheikh had seized Suhas’s weapons and mistreated him days before the incident. Sheikh asserted that such unverified declarations, when amplified on social media and in press briefings, risk fueling communal disharmony and disturbing public peace.

City police commissioner Anupam Agrawal responded by stating that a departmental probe has been initiated. The investigation will be overseen by the Assistant Commissioner of Police from the central subdivision.

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