The mob that went on the rampage in eastern Bengaluru on Tuesday night over an offensive post by a relative of the Pulakeshinagar MLA didn't just harm the legislator and his family. It vented the ire by harming the property of local residents, too.
On the streets near the MLA's house in Kaval Byrasandra, the mob barged into homes, ransacked them and set them afire. The mob didn't even spare Munegowda, a landlord from Kaval Byrasandra, who kept pleading that he had nothing with the MLA and burnt down his house.
CCTV footage of his house showed a youth distributing money a few hours before the incident, police said. Munegowda's family wasn't home at the time of the attack. "The mob first vandalised the two four-wheelers parked in front of my house, broke open the gate and set fire to four bikes parked inside the compound. It also broke open the main door, vandalised the TV sets and other appliances and ransacked the house," Munegowda said.
His son said they were all at a nearby temple when neighbours alerted them. Fearing for their lives, they turned up at the house on Wednesday morning. "We had no issues with anyone and still cannot believe that our house was targeted," the son said.
The family runs Sowbhagya English High School next door. An elderly woman neighbour of the family was injured after being attacked with stones.
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