Bengaluru: At a time when Dakshina Kannada is grappling with a fragile communal fabric frayed by recent hate killings, a shocking and brazen death threat issued by the Pakistan-based terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammed against a Hindu leader has once again exposed the grim reality of jihadist infiltration and terror propaganda targeting India’s coastal belt.
In a chilling WhatsApp message received by Narasimha Mani, the Dakshina Kannada district coordinator of Hindu Jagaran Vedike, radical Islamists have openly declared a list of Hindu leaders marked for brutal execution. The message, laced with graphic threats and audacious hate speech, originated from foreign numbers traced to Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Saudi Arabia—countries long viewed as hotbeds of Islamic extremism.
The audio threat in Urdu, reportedly sent from Jaish-e-Mohammed operatives, includes deeply disturbing statements:
“We will cut off your friend’s hands and feet. Then we will cut off his head and hang it at the main gate of Delhi. Your name is on top of our list. The reverse countdown has begun.”
The voice message references Suhas Shetty, a Hindu leader murdered earlier this month in Bajpe, stating: “Suhas Shetty was also on our list. Some good people finished him off. Ranjit is next. We will mutilate him before beheading him.”
These barbaric words were followed by a vile taunt that reflects the extremist mindset behind the threat:
“Even Allah does not know how we will kill you.”
This direct threat was aimed at Narasimha Mani, with an explicit warning to stop advocating for Hindu rights and an assertion that neither party nor power can save him or his companions.
Complaint filed, but situation demands more than paperwork
Following this threat, a complaint was filed at the Bantwal police station, where it was revealed that the message included threats to several other activists, including Rakesh Budoli, accusing them of involvement in the alleged killing of a Muslim man.
“We, the Mujahideen of Jaish-e-Mohammed, are already in Delhi. The countdown has begun. We are near your house,” the message warned, highlighting the dangerous penetration of foreign jihadist ideology into India’s borders.
The threat comes just days after the murder of Abdul Rahman in Bantwal on May 27, further inflaming tensions. It follows a pattern of retaliatory killings, with communal bloodshed becoming dangerously normalized in the region.
This is not just a threat to one individual. This is a direct attack on India’s internal security, democratic values, and Hindu leadership. The boldness of issuing such bloodcurdling threats from foreign soil suggests a well-funded, coordinated propaganda campaign to destabilize regions already on the edge.
These threats are no longer digital noise. They are a call to jihadist violence, strategically designed to fan communal tensions, radicalize youth, and paralyze the nation with fear. If this cancer of extremism is not uprooted now, it will metastasize into organized homegrown terror.
Condemnation must be unflinching and bipartisan
All political parties, civil society groups, and law enforcement agencies must unequivocally condemn these threats. No political calculation or appeasement logic can justify silence when open calls to behead Indian citizens are made. It is imperative that central investigative agencies, including the NIA, are immediately brought into the picture to:
• Identify the origin and handlers of these foreign numbers
• Expose local modules assisting such jihadist propaganda
• Ensure security cover for threatened leaders
• Track and dismantle online hate cells
The union government must treat this as a case of attempted transnational terrorism. The Union Home Ministry must issue a high-alert advisory to coastal states, especially Karnataka, Kerala, and Goa, where radical sleeper cells have previously been uncovered. India cannot afford to dismiss such threats as fringe ramblings. The Dakshina Kannada district has seen too many politically or communally motivated murders. It’s time to draw the line.
Terror has no religion, but this radical jihadist threat must be called out for what it is: a cowardly, hateful ideology trying to terrorize a nation built on pluralism, debate, and democracy. The country stands with Narasimha Mani and all leaders who continue to speak for the nation’s integrity despite death knocking at their door.
Let there be no compromise with jihadist terror—not now, not ever.
