A 34-year-old Muslim man, Abdul Raheem, was killed, and his colleague, Kalanadar Shafi (31), was injured in an attack in Irakodi, Bantwal, Karnataka. The incident happened on Sunday, May 27, around 3:20 PM, after they finished unloading sand in Kuriyal village. A complaint has been filed at the Bantwal rural police station.
Abdul Raheem, who worked as a pickup driver and also served as the secretary of Moideen Juma Masjid, Kolthamajal, died at the scene. Kalandar Shafi, the injured youth, is currently in the ICU at Highland Hospital, Mangalore, and is reported to be out of danger.
While speaking to The Observer Post, Abdul Khader, the father of Abdul Raheem, said, “They have killed my son; they took my precious son from my hands.”
Ahmed (name changed) said, “Raheem received a call around 1:30 p.m. from Sumit, asking him to deliver sand to Deepak’s house. After the sand was unloaded, about fifteen people arrived; they attacked, and Raheem was fatally stabbed. Shafi managed to escape. Around 3:32 p.m., Kalandar Shafi called me, saying, ‘Come and rescue us; we’ve been attacked.’”
“We arrived at the location ten minutes later, and it took us around twenty minutes to locate Shafi. After we found him hiding in the forest area, we took him to the hospital,” he added.
While being taken to the hospital in the ambulance, Shafi revealed the names of those he recognized among the fifteen attackers—namely.
In connection with the murder of Abdul Raheem and the serious assault on his colleague, Qalandar Shafi, at Irakodi, Kuriyal village, under the jurisdiction of Bantwal Rural Police Station on the afternoon of 27.05.2025, a case has been registered at Bantwal Rural Police Station (No. 54/2025) under Sections 191(1), 191(2), 191(3) (rioting), 118(1), 118(2) (voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 109 (attempt to murder), 103 (murder), and 190 (unlawful assembly) of the BNS 2023.
As of now, the police have detained three accused individuals: Deepak (21), Pritiviraj (21), and Chintan (19). They have also named Deepak, Sumit, and 13 others as accused in the case.
Abdul Rahman, also known as Raheem (34), son of Abdul Khader, leaves behind his wife and two young children, aged 3 years and 1.5 years. The injured victim, Kalandar Shafi (31), who is currently undergoing treatment, is a bachelor and the sole breadwinner of his family.
The incident took place near Deepak’s house, where Deepak’s mother and his siblings were present. They have been taken into custody for investigation.
Ahmed said that three days before the incident, Rahman had delivered sand free of charge to Deepak’s house due to the situation at Deepak’s home
Ahmed told The Observer Post, “They killed him in a premeditated attack; both the person who was murdered and the one injured are innocent. The sole purpose of killing him was to seek revenge.”
“We are extremely scared to walk alone after the incident. Now there’s fear in our hearts. How are we going to feed our families? Whom can we trust when they murdered him just because he was asked to deliver sand?” Ahmed asked.
Following the incident, tensions ran high outside the hospital as angry crowds gathered. Muslim community leaders faced questions and demands from the crowd.
A large number of people gathered on B.C. Road as the body was taken by ambulance to Kolthamajal.
On May 28, in response to the murder, people from Dakshina Kannada and surrounding areas voluntarily closed their shops and business establishments.
“They have murdered an innocent soul, and now the children have become orphans, and his wife a widow. The leaders don’t care about the lives of Muslims. Everyone has abandoned us,” Ahmad said.
The vice president of the Bantwal Taluk Municipality, Moonish Ali Ahmed, told The Observer Post: “Our team visited the SP, DCP, and IG to warn them about how things may escalate due to the recent hate speech at Bajpe Chalo. Given the forested area, we requested that the police increase security and conduct targeted vehicle checks, especially around Kambodi Village. However, our concerns have been disregarded.”
Munish said that the police department should immediately take action against those responsible for the hate speech, namely Shrikant Shetty, Sharan Pumpwel, and Bharath Kumdel.
He also said the government should provide ₹50 lakh as compensation for Raheem’s house and hospital expenses, and ₹10 lakh as compensation for Kalandar Shafi.
Community leaders have also received calls to organize protests demanding justice. Investigations are ongoing to trace the remaining accused involved in the murder, which has triggered tension in and around Dakshina Kannada (DK).
