2 bike-borne students spark security scare during Amit Shah's Bengaluru visit

When a police constable tried to stop them, they rammed their two-wheeler into him and fled, official said

A major security breach took place during Union Home Minister Amit Shah's visit to Bengaluru. Two scooter-borne youth followed Shah's convoy near Safina Plaza on Sunday night in a bid to escape from the police assuming that the police were going to catch them for not wearing their helmets and not having a driving license and scooter documents.

The duo accused are identified as students Mohammed Imran, Jibran Sharif, both 22 years old. They are residents of Neelasandra, pursuing BA in a college in RT Nagar. According to a preliminary investigation, police said that the duo didn't have any criminal background. They didn't even know that it was Amit Shah's convoy. Instead they claim that they panicked after seeing so many policemen on the street and tried to escape from them and rode behind the convoy for almost 300 metres.

The incident happened at around 11 pm, when Shah was on his way to HAL Airport from Taj West End hotel. Shah was going back to Delhi in a special flight from HAL Airport.

According to the CCTV footage accessed by DH, the youth riding on a scooter behind Shah's convoy and escort vehicles were stopped by policemen deployed on special security duty near Manipal Centre. The scooter rider Sharif escaped while the police managed to detain the pillion rider Imran. Later the police made Imran call Sharif over the phone and asked him to come back.

The duo were questioned all through the night and were left after being served a notice. On Monday morning traffic head constable attached with Shivajinagar traffic police station Raju Chalwadi filed a complaint with the Commercial Street police under section 353 (obstructing police from discharging duties) and 279 (rash and negligent driving) of the IPC..

Since the sections imposed on them are less than seven years of imprisonment they were released after a detailed enquiry, said a senior police officer. If required the duo will be called again for questioning, the officer added.

Why the duo followed convoy

Imran and Sharif came to Shivaji Nagar in the evening on a Hero Splendor bike and a scooter. They left Imran's bike for repair in a garage in Shivaji Nagar and later went to Frazer Town (Pulakeshinagar) and break their fast after offering prayers. The duo were returning home at around 11 pm. When they were near Safina Plaza on Infantry Road they noticed many policemen deployed and security tape was put along the road. They entered the main road crossing the security and were stopped by a policeman. Assuming that they were caught for riding without helmets the duo decided to escape. At the same time Shah's convoy passed. The duo followed the convoy till Manipal Centre where the police managed to stop their scooter. Sharif had borrowed the scooter from one of his friends who is working as a mason. When they were stopped near Manipal Centre they hit Chalwadi who sustained minor injuries.