Head constable killed in clash; silence descends on Chintamani

As many as 31 people were arrested for Sundays violence

Prohibitory orders were imposed after a head constable was killed in a group clash, during the immersion of a Ganesha idol at Agrahara in Chintamani Sunday night.

Platoons of police were deployed to increase security in the city, which wore a deserted look  on Monday.

B L Sudhakar Reddy (50), a head constable, with his colleagues tried to bring under control a situation where miscreants threw beer bottles and stones at people and shops. This led to a tense situation in the area.

The police who arrived at the spot resorted to lathicharge and dispersed the crowd.

Head constable Sudhakar Reddy was hit by a stone, as he reached Patalamma Temple after dispersing the crowd. He collapsed on the spot due to the severe blow. People could not spot him because there was no electricity.

Later, when the police were informed over the phone about an unidentified person lying on the road, they came to the spot and recognised Sudhakar.

Police arrested 31 people on Sunday night after a group of 20 to 25 miscreants hurled stones at houses of Town Municipal Council member T Srinivas, N Krishnamurthy, Shankarappa and Mahesh.

They also threw stones at a petty shop of Seetharamappa and damaged a two-wheeler and window panes of his home. Two women, Gangamma and Muniratnamma, were injured in the incident.

Administering of first aid and transferring Sudhakar to a hospital in Kolar proved futile.

Prohibitory orders

In light of Sunday’s violence prohibitory orders, under Section 144, are in force from Monday 6 am to Wednesday 8 pm in Chintamani. As per the orders, forming groups, taking out processions and wielding weapons is banned.

The killing of a head constable in the group clash has instilled fear among residents of Agrahara.

IGP (Central Range) Amar Kumar Pande, Deputy Commissioner N Manjula, DySP T D Pawar, Assistant Commissioner Satish, Tahsildar Manjunath and Intelligence officers visited the spot on Sunday night.

To maintain law and order and to ensure that no untoward incident occurs security was tightened. Platoons of reserve police were deployed at various places in the city on Monday. Condemning the violence, residents observed a voluntary bandh on Monday.

All shops, petrol bunks, movie theatres and commercial establishments remained shut. Schools and colleges declared a holiday.

Public and private transport came to a grinding halt, disrupting normal life.

Fortunately, medical shops remained open. Though government offices and banks were open they registered low attendance.