Bengaluru: Five undertrial prisoners accused in the murder of Hindu activist Suhas Shetty allegedly assaulted a prison warder at Parappana Agrahara Central Prison after he stopped them from carrying additional articles into the jail. An FIR has been registered against the five accused at Parappana Agrahara police station.
According to the complaint, the accused were shifted to the Annex-1 building of the prison on August 22. During the shifting process, Manjunath was assigned to check the belongings being carried by the inmates. He reportedly found additional articles that were not permitted inside the prison and stopped the accused from carrying them further.
The decision allegedly angered the prisoners, who subsequently developed hostility towards the warder. Officials suspect that the earlier confrontation over the prohibited articles was the immediate trigger for the assault.
On September 2, Manjunath went to the Annex-1 building in connection with information relating to the accused and their video-conference appearance. During his visit, one of the accused, Mohammed Muzamil, allegedly confronted him and picked an argument.
The situation reportedly escalated within minutes. Muzamil allegedly punched Manjunath in the face and nose, causing bleeding injuries. The other accused then allegedly joined him and dragged the warder into room number four of the barrack.
The five inmates allegedly assaulted Manjunath inside the room. Sources said other prison officials and staff noticed the incident and rushed to his rescue. The warder was subsequently taken to safety and provided medical attention.
The accused named in the FIR are Mohammed Muzamil, Abdul Shafgan alias Shafwan, Mohammed Rizwan, Niyaz alias Nayaz and Kalandar Shafi.
Police have registered a case invoking serious provisions, including an attempt-to-murder charge, based on the allegations made in the complaint.
The incident has once again brought the functioning and security arrangements at Parappana Agrahara prison under scrutiny.
The five accused are among those facing charges in the murder of Suhas Shetty, a Hindu activist from Dakshina Kannada. The NIA has filed a chargesheet against 11 accused in connection with the murder before the NIA Special Court in Bengaluru.
According to the NIA chargesheet, the murder was carried out with the intention of creating fear in society and spreading terror, besides being linked to an earlier dispute. The investigation alleged that the accused had monitored Shetty’s movements for several months before executing the attack.
The chargesheet names Abdul Safwan alias Kavaluru Safwan, Niyaz alias Nia, Mohammed Musameer, Naushad, Adil Maharoof, Azaruddin, Abdul Khader, Kalandar Shafi, M Nagaraj, Ranjith and Mohammed Rizwan as accused.
The NIA has alleged that Adil Maharoof provided financial assistance to those involved in the killing. It has also alleged that several of the accused had earlier links with the banned Popular Front of India and Karnataka Forum for Dignity.
The murder took place near Kinnipadavu in Dakshina Kannada on May 1, 2025. According to the investigation, the accused followed Shetty’s vehicle in two cars while carrying deadly weapons. They rammed their vehicle into Shetty’s car near Kinnipadavu and blocked possible escape routes.
Shetty reportedly attempted to flee after getting out of his vehicle but was chased by the attackers and stabbed with deadly weapons. Mangaluru police initially arrested several suspects in connection with the murder before the Union Home Ministry transferred the case to the NIA for further investigation.
The NIA has said that further investigation is continuing against another accused, Abdul Razak.
The latest assault inside Parappana Agrahara has added another layer of concern to the case, as some of the accused facing charges in the murder are now themselves accused of attacking a prison employee.
