Pic: Dayanand Kukkaje
Daijiworld Media Network – Puttur (SP)

Puttur, Feb 18: The town policemen have arrested three persons, Narayan, Pravin and a newspaper reporter named Navin, on the allegation of abetting disturbances in the town. Town police inspector, Srikant, made these arrests.

In the recent past, several incidents of torching houses and shops in Mura, Kabaka and Narimogru areas of the taluk, had been reported. The sequences of events in these incidents were similar, in the sense that the houses and shops of individuals belonging to different communities were being torched alternatively. This had been building communal tension in these places.

The policemen, who believed that this was the handiwork of some anti social elements, and not communal forces, intensified their probe. They now claim to have unearthed the culprits. The policemen say that Navin, who works as an auto rickshaw driver, also functions as a reporter for an evening newspaper. The policemen said, they would try to find out as to whether these people were involved with placing a garland of footwear on the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in the town recently.

Inspector General of Police of western range, Gopal Hosur, who paid a sudden visit to the town on Wednesday February 17 and held a meeting with the policemen, said that the arrested men will be subjected to further interrogation to unearth more details. He warned that the department will not spare any one who supports or incites communal trouble.

However, immediately after the arrest of Navin, Taluk Journalists Union, in a written communication to the policemen, said that Navin is not a newspaper reporter as per their records.