Karwar, 4 Jan

A 30-year-old Dalit woman has been stabbed to death in the road in Yellapur town of Uttara Kannada district on Saturday, allegedly by a man known to her, police said.

The accused, Rafique Imamsab was later found dead and his body was hanging from a tree in the forest near Yellapur on Sunday, the Superintendent of Police Deepan MN told PTI.

The incident has triggered communal tension in the town, with several Hindu outfits calling for a Yellapur bandh on Sunday. They termed the woman's killing a case of 'Love Jihad'.

The murdered woman has been identified as Ranjitha Bhanasode, 30, a resident of Kalamma Nagar in Yellapur.

Rafiq a resident of the same locality, was the prime accused in the murder of the woman. Both Rafiq and Ranjitha were friends since their school days, police said.

"Preliminary investigation suggests that the accused was pressuring the woman to marry him. After she refused, he allegedly attacked her with a knife in public," a police officer said.

The incident occurred on Saturday afternoon when Ranjitha was returning home from her workplace.

Police said Ranjitha had married Sachin Katera of Solapur, Maharashtra, about 12 years ago and had a 10-year-old son.

She had been living separately and was staying with her family in Yellapur, working as a mid-day meal helper at a government school, police said.

The accused frequently visited her house for meals, but tensions escalated when he insisted on marriage, to which Ranjitha and her family objected.

Following the murder, angry residents and Hindutva activists staged a protest at the Yellapur police station, alleging delay in the arrest of the accused. They have warned of continuing protests until the accused is taken into custody.

Meanwhile, Rafiq was found dead by hanging from tree in a forest.

"It's a 100 per cent case of Love Jihad where single women, widows or divorcee are targeted," Sri Ram Sena chief Pramod Muthalik said. The BJP state president B Y Vijayendra will meet the family of Ranjitha on Sunday.

In view of the situation, police have deployed additional forces and imposed tight security arrangements in and around Yellapur.