Bengaluru, Feb 13 (IANS): At least 13 people have been arrested in the Mysuru city police station attack case, said officials as Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara on Thursday reiterated that ruthless action would be initiated against rioters in the case and more arrests would be made.
Speaking to the media in Bengaluru on Thursday, Parameshwara stated, “Ruthless action will be initiated as I had stated earlier. Already more than 10 persons have been arrested. More persons are identified through CCTV footage even they will also be arrested and legal action is going to be initiated.”
Meanwhile, police sources confirmed that 13 persons have been arrested and the numbers are going to increase as the rioters’ identities have been tracked.
The FIR registered in connection with the case mentions that there were all probabilities of police personnel getting killed during the incident of rioting and stone pelting on February 9, the source said.
The FIR further mentioned that more than 1,000 persons gathered in front of the police station. After gathering illegally, the mob damaged the properties of the police department, including vehicles attached to the police department, and pelted stones at police personnel. PSI Sunil has complained in this regard and has urged to initiate action against Muslim youths who indulged in the violence.
The development has also drawn sharp criticism from the public and opposition over the absence of fear of law among mobs.
Considering the matter seriously, the special wing CCB police have pitched in the investigation and the identities of more than 60 rioters have been tracked.
Karnataka BJP has urged that at this moment, all parties must come together and consider the necessary measures to safeguard internal security. The police system, which gives protection, must be given moral support.
State BJP General Secretary P. Rajeev stated, “There is a systematic conspiracy to destabilize the police system and create a perception that there is no security within the police force. If internal unrest is created in the state, it would send a message to society that the police system is incapable of controlling it.”
“Political accusations, communal perspectives such as Hindu-Muslim narratives, and politically motivated interpretations enable anti-national activities to thrive. The treacherous forces and anti-national elements that incite internal riots would remain safe under such circumstances,” Rajeev stated and urged for action.
Karnataka Police have also launched a hunt for an Islamic religious teacher who delivered hate speech provoking the mob to attack a police station in Mysuru city over an objectionable social media post.
As per sources, the accused Maulvi has been identified as Mufti Mushtaq Maqbooli and the social media post was over the defeat of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the Delhi Assembly elections.
The police have got Maqbooli's video clip, in which he is seen making highly provoking statements, including taking extreme violence.
Deputy CM Shivakumar visited the spot in Mysuru on Wednesday and said that wrongdoers would be punished.
Earlier, Karnataka Police had detained one person in connection with a controversial social media post making communal comments against a particular community while celebrating the defeat of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the Delhi Assembly elections which triggered tension in Mysuru city.
The accused, a resident of Kalyannagar in Mysuru, had put up a post ridiculing Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi, former Chief Ministers Akhilesh Yadav and Arvind Kejriwal. The accused further made provocative communal statements against a particular religious group. The post went viral on social media on Monday evening.
By late Monday night, a group belonging to the minority community gathered in front of the Udayagiri police station demanding action against the accused person.
Although the police tried to pacify the crowd and even roped in religious leaders who requested them to calm down, the situation turned violent and the crowd started pelting stones at the police station. The mob also attacked the official vehicle of the DCP. They raised slogans and when the situation went out of control, the police resorted to lathi-charge and later fired tear gas. Additional police forces were called and the senior police officers along with local political leaders appealed to the crowd assuring them that action would be taken against the accused person.