Mohan Kuthar
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Mar 29: In an incident which occurred late night on Sunday March 27, a number of people following Sunni faith gate-crashed into a place where religious congregation of Salafi group was on. The intruders then launched attack with the help of soda bottles and stones, which was strongly resisted by the Salafi group. In this fight, two persons suffered serious injuries, whereas two more were taken into custody by police personnel of Konaje station. A total of 14 persons belonging to both the groups were injured in this battle.

Hakim Montepadavu, Kadaba Abbas, Kadaba Hanif, Hassan Mukri, Ummer Bail, and U T Shaukat of the Sunni sect were injured in the fight, whereas Abdul Aziz, Hussain Fahad, Ismail Samanige, Faisal, Fahad, Imran, Jalli Abbu and Muhammed of Salafi faith were injured. Among them, the injuries suffered by U T Shaukat and Ismail were of serious nature.

Since about a week, religious discourses of Salafi group was on near Konaje. On Sunday evening, the meeting was organized in government land near Montepadavu mosque with prior permission from the authorities. Various religious scholars delivered speeches at the meeting. The last speech of the programme, which was keynote address by veteran scholar, K E Suhail Abdulla on the subject of 'faith in the lone Almighty', was in progress when over 50 members from Sunni faith suddenly barged into the venue of the programme and tossed soda bottles and stones. Thereafter, it was a free for all, with people from both sides throwing whatever they could lay their hands on, at each other. The left hand of Shaukat was fractured during this din, whereas Ismail suffered serious injuries to his head.

The police who were on patrol duty since evening, were present near the programme for most part of the programme. After the last programme in the agenda began, the policemen had left for security duty at another venue, as they were of the notion that trouble cannot break out thereafter. Reportedly, people from Sunni sect were keenly observing the movements of policemen, and seized the opportunity provided by their absence, after the police personnel left.

Montepadavu has predominance of people following Sunni faith with Salafis forming only a minuscule percentage, Sunnis said, adding that delivering speeches in which Sunni priests are abused in this area is an act that needs to be condemned. They said that aggrieved people had launched the above attack.

Both sides filed complaints in Konaje police station about the incident. Two have been taken into custody relating to it.