Mangaluru: After BJP leader and Karkala MLA Sunil Kumar and Union Minister Anantkumar Hegde, a Vishwa Hindu Parishad seems to be vying with them in stoking fires than calming the tempers in the district battling communal hatred.

A VHP leader on Sunday said that he doesn’t regret the murder of Abdul Basheer, who was murdered in retaliation to the killing of Bajrang Dal member Deepak Rao.

Jagadish Shenava, the district president of VHP, Dakshina Kannada, said he is aware that he will be making a controversial statement – however, he did not care. He was addressing a book release function of `Hadedavvana Shaapa’ at TV Raman Pai Convention Hall here on Sunday. The book was brought out by Sahamata Balaga, which narrates mother’s woes on losing their sons in incidents of hatred.

“Basheer was killed in retaliation to the murder of Deepak. As the district head of VHP, I surely don’t regret this,” he said, adding, “I know that newspapers will report this. Let the police file a case against me. I don’t care.”

Shenava said there is a section of the public in the society which looked forward to succor from the saffron outfits and it was the responsibility of the society to shield them.

Deepak Rao was murdered in Katipalla on January 3 by fringe elements over the tying of buntings of the two communities. To avenge his death, Basheer, a hotelier, was murdered on the same evening in Kottar Chowki.