The killing triggered protests by Hindu outfits, which called for a Yellapur bandh on Sunday, terming it was an instance of ‘love jihad’.
Published Jan 04, 2026 | 9:04 PM ⚊ Updated Jan 04, 2026 | 9:05 PM
The murder took place on Saturday afternoon when the victim, who worked as a mid-day meal helper at a government school, was returning home from her workplace.
Synopsis: A 30-year-old Dalit woman was stabbed to death in broad daylight in Yellapur in Karnataka’s Uttara Kannada district on Saturday, allegedly by a man known to her, who was later found dead by suicide a day later, police said. Police said the accused, a childhood friend of the victim, had been pressuring her to marry him and attacked her in public after she refused.
A 30-year-old Dalit woman, Ranjitha Bhanasode, was stabbed to death in broad daylight in Yellapur town of Karnataka’s Uttara Kannada district on Saturday, January 3, allegedly by a man known to her.
The accused, identified as Rafique Imamsab, was found dead on Sunday, hanging from a tree in a forested area near Yellapur, police told reporters.
The killing triggered protests by Hindu outfits, which called for a Yellapur bandh on Sunday, terming the killing a fallout of ‘love jihad’.
The accused and the murdered woman were friends since their school days, police said.
As per the preliminary investigation, the accused was pressuring the woman to marry him. He allegedly attacked her with a knife in public after she refused his proposal.
The murder took place on Saturday afternoon when Bhanasode, who worked as a mid-day meal helper at a government school, was returning home from her workplace.
Police said she had married in Solapur, Maharashtra, around 12 years ago and had a 10-year-old son, but later separated from her husband and was living with her family in Yellapur.
According to the complaint filed by her sister, Akshata Bansode, the accused had repeatedly insisted on marriage despite objections from Bhanasode and her family.
“She had stopped meeting him or taking his calls after our mother and sisters warned him. But he continued to call her repeatedly,” Akshata stated in the complaint.
Police have registered a case under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Following the murder, local residents and Hindutva activists staged a protest at the Yellapur police station, alleging a delay in the arrest of the accused, before he was found dead.
“It is a 100 percent case of love jihad where single women, widows or divorcees are targeted,” Sri Ram Sena chief Pramod Muthalik told reporters.
Police deployed additional forces and imposed tight security arrangements in and around Yellapur on Sunday following the call for a bandh.
BY Vijayendra, the Karnataka BJP state president, visited the victim’s family on Sunday.
“The Yellapura incident once again underscores the growing vulnerability of Hindus in the state, under a regime that is perceived to be soft and accommodative towards jihadist elements,” he said in a post on X.
Calling out Home Minister G Parameshwara and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for “turning a blind eye” to crimes, Vijayendra said, “A Home Minister who routinely appears to be the last person to learn about grave crimes, and a Chief Minister preoccupied with internal power struggles, have collectively turned a blind eye to crimes against women.”
He claimed that crimes against women have surged under the current government. “Misplaced priorities have emboldened criminals and created an atmosphere of fear among Hindu women,” he added.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
