Mangaluru (The Hindu): Police Commissioner M. Chandra Sekhar said here on Monday that police are still in search of Naresh Shenoy, a key suspect in the alleged murder of Right to Information (RTI) activist Vinayak Baliga. Mr. Baliga was murdered in the city on March 21. To a question during a press conference here Mr. Sekhar said, “We have been doing our best. There is no laxity on our part.” The Commissioner said that the Ullal incidents shifted the focus from this case. But efforts are on to trace him, he added.

It may be mentioned here that an additional district and sessions court here on Friday rejected the advance bail plea by Mr. Shenoy.

The order was passed by II Additional District and Sessions Judge Sarvottam Shettigar. Public Prosecutor Shekhar Shetty had objected to the advance bail plea stating that the suspect was an influential person and there was every possibility of he tampering with the evidence and witnesses if given bail. The prosecution had also argued that the suspect should have presented himself before the police to help the investigation. However, he has been absconding since the time of murder, the prosecution said.

Procession

Activists of Deshapremi Sanghatanegala Ookoota took out a padayatra from P.V.S. Kalakunj to the office of the Police Commissioner here urging the police to arrest Mr. Shenoy and two of his associates. In a memorandum to the Police Commissioner, rationalist Narendra Nayak claimed that Mr. Shenoy was a politically, economically and socially influential person.

There are doubts that some more influential persons could have been behind the murder, the memorandum read. An attempt was being made to prevent the arrest of Mr. Shenoy so that other influential persons behind the murder could be saved, the memorandum said.