S Nandagopal/TNN 

Mangalore, Oct 13: “If trying to pacify and convince fellow members of my community was a crime, then I am proud to have committed such a crime. I am ready for any kind of probe as I know I am not at fault”, said Mayor K Ashraf. In the centre of a controversy after being accused of involvement with a mob that attacked Mukhyaprana Temple at Lower Car Street on Thursday last, Ashraf is happy that everything is normal.

Clarifying the statements made by senior leaders of the ruling coalition on his alleged involvement in the violence, he told The Times of India, that he was aware of his responsibilities as the Mayor of the city. “I had done my best to convince my people not to indulge in any kind of violence.”

“Communal clashes or prevalence of tension is nothing new to the city and its outskirts, but the people of Bunder, the commercial hub of the city, has always modelled as an example with minimal incidents of any kind. Bunder is relatively more peaceful than other parts of the city, barring some stray incidents of stone pelting and mob attack. I was the corproator of the ward even during the Surathkal riots in 1998. When Suratkal, Chokkabettu and Krishnapura burnt, Bunder was peaceful. It is a credit to the people of my ward that we did not even see the imposition of curfew.”

Explaining the sequence of events that took place on Wednesday (October 4) and the following day, Ashraf said that he had rushed to Kudroli when he heard about the interception of a vehicle carrying cattle. Till about 3 am, he was on a damage control exercise convincing youth and elders from his community not to resort to violence of any kind, he added. “The SP was also being updated on the situation and I was assured that no untoward incident would take place the following day”, he said.
The next day, everything was normal as ever but for the bandh call given by Bajrang Dal. “It is only a few people who have taken the city for ransom and so was the case in Bunder as well. At about 11 am, I heard about some group pelting stones at houses and shops. I rushed to the place and did my bit to avert any untoward incident. Naturally, I will be seen with the group of people and it also natural that the group will belong to a particular community”, he reasoned. “It is rather unfortunate that some vested interests seized the opportunity to pin me down accusing me of igniting communal sentiments simply because I was seen there”.

“My ward does have Muslims in majority, but there exist huge godowns and other commercial establishments belonging to the Hindus. It is a matter of pride that none of shops or business establishment were damaged anywhere in the ward. Therefore, pointing a finger at me and terming me as anti-social, is ridiculous”, he said.