Mangaluru: The man who allegedly hacked a 21-year-old woman to death near the KSRTC New Bus Stand at BC Road in Bantwal on Thursday, continues to be in ICU at the Wenlock District Hospital.Police had taken Chethan,22, a resident of Odinala in Belthangady, who had hacked Lavanya, a resident of Uli village in Bantwal taluk, into custody on Friday. He had allegedly consumed rat poison before the police team took him into custody. Following this, police had admitted him to the hospital.Dakshina Kannada SP Arun K said, “He is still in ICU at the hospital for observation. It may take two to three days for him to be discharged.”Meanwhile Dakshina Kannada police continued to act against those who are circulating edited photos and spreading fake, provocative content aimed at disrupting communal harmony in connection with the murder. Bantwal Town police had registered three separate cases against multiple social media accounts and WhatsApp groups on Friday.Additionally, a case has been registered against Harsha K Shetty, who shared a derogatory message with a video and poster allegedly targeting a community on ‘Sri Ramasene Karkala’ WhatsApp group. Another case has been registered against Kiran Aradhya for allegedly sharing the video footage of the murder with a provocative message on X platform. Bantwal Town police have registered separate cases under Section 353(2) of the BNS in both instances.Members of the Navasahaja Samudaya Sanghatane, Dakshina Kannada, staged a protest near the Mini Vidhana Soudha here on Saturday, demanding the death penalty for the accused in the Bantwal murder case. The protesters raised slogans such as, “The fight will continue until justice is served.”
