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The district administration has clamped prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code till July 5 midnight in the limits of Udaygiri, Narasimharaja, Mandi and Lashkar police stations. In Bangalore, State Home Minister V S Acharya said his government has requested deployment of a CRPF unit, stationed in Coimbatore, at Udaygiri and its surrounding areas in the district. The CRPF unit would supplement the state police force.
Those who died in the violence have been identified as Junaid Pasha (15), Mubarak Akhtar (21) of Shanthinagar and Tirupathi (47) of K N Pura in Kyatamaranahalli in the city. While Mubarak and Tirupathi were bludgeoned to death, there were contradictory reports of the cause of Junaid’s death.
The police claim that he was stabbed to death, but the locals alleged that he was killed in police firing. Deputy Commissioner P Manivannan said the boy’s post-mortem will be videographed to maintain transparency while ascertaining the cause of death. Mubarak was allegedly attacked by a mob near Veeramadakari Nayak Circle in Kyatamaranahalli while he was riding a two-wheeler. He died on the spot. Tirupathi and his wife Janakamma, both masons, had just left their house on Rama Mandir Road when he was waylaid by a mob. He was dragged to a deserted site near his house and badly assaulted. He succumbed ot his injuries on his way to the hospital.
Meanwhile, Manivannan asserted that a revolver belonging to an inspector attached to the City Armed Reserve (CAR) police was lost when the police tried to quell the violence.
On Thursday morning around 6 am, a piglet carcass, with a severed head, was found in the premises of an abandoned place of worship adjacent to a primary Arabic school being run by Haleem Sadiya Trust. As word spread, people belonging to a particular community descended on the spot in large numbers. Police Commissioner Sunil Agarwal, accompanied by DCP (Law and Order) V S D’Souza, rushed to the spot. The locals alleged the handiwork of another community behind the incident sparking tension in the area.
Around the same time, tension gripped Shanthinagar, Kyatamaranahalli, Udayagiri and other adjoining areas. Property, including a cattleshed, scooter, haystacks were set on fire by the mob. When attempts to disperse the mob by using mild force proved futile, the police fired a few tear gas shells. But the angry mob would not relent.
Police firing
As a final attempt, the police opened fire in the air but to no avail. A few police personnel, including ACP V A Pujar, suffered minor injuries in stone pelting. All educational institutions have been asked to remain closed until further orders. The government announced Rs 1 lakh compensation to the family of the deceased. Acharya said in the State capital that “the situation is seemingly normal” and that the administration was keeping a “close watch”. He confirmed the death of three persons, all of whom died due to stab injuries. The minister said that the police used rubber bullets to disperse the mob.
Asked whether he saw a pattern behind such incidents, Acharya said: “Investigations will soon identify the culprits and they will be brought to justice”.
Work stopped
It is said that Huliyamma Temple Trust had submitted a memorandum to DC P Manivannan in March 2009 against the construction of the masjid. They had argued that the masjid will pave way for communal disharmony in the locality. Acting on this the DC had issued an orders on March 31 instructing the Sadiya Trust to stop the works. And, the works had been abandoned since then.
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