Shrikanth Shetty, during a VHP-Bajrang Dal rally, warned of retaliation following the murder of rowdy-sheeter Suhas Shetty. He stated that 40% of those present at the meeting, including himself, are history-sheeters. He blamed Muslims working in Middle Eastern countries for communal tensions in the region, accusing them of bringing back alleged extremist ideologies that, according to him, lead to riots. He also invoked the conspiracy theory of “love jihad” and alleged that hawala funds are used to bring in contract killers from Kerala and the Malabar region to target Hindu leaders.