B'luru: Activist's body found mutilated, castrated; cops deny torture

Bengaluru: Two days after he went missing, a 21-year-old youth activist's body was found in a lake last Friday and the mysterious death is soon becoming the centre of a political row.

The BJP has alleged that the body of the youth, Paresh Mesta, was mutilated, he was castrated, his head burnt by boiling oil and split with a sharp weapon two days after he went missing during clashes in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka.

The police maintain the man was not tortured.

BJP lawmaker Shobha Karandlaje on Twitter shared photos of the mutilated body and said Mesta was castrated and his head cut open before being thrown into the lake.

But the police insisted that the autopsy report revealed no such torture as claimed. They said doctors found no evidence of any mutilation or any injury due to chemicals. The man's face was discoloured not because of burns but because of decay, an NDTV report said.

BJP MP Shobha criticised the Siddaramaiah govt of declaring the incident as an 'ordinary death'.

BJP leaders including Shobha on Tuesday marched to Raj Bhavan to submit memorandum to Governor seeking direction to state government for NIA probe in the case.

Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and other Hindu groups clashed with the police while protesting in Karnataka's Sirsi.

Downplaying BJP allegations, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah slammed the BJP saying "a desperate BJP has stooped so low as to use the unfortunate death of a youth Paresh Mesta in Honnavar for political gains".

"BJP leaders are heeding the advice of Amit Shah to create trouble and invite police action. People are getting hurt by their irresponsible acts," he tweeted.