When roads seemed one big scrap yard

Burnt vehicles, empty lanes tell tale of city limping back to normalcy

Soot on the roads, partially burnt wooden logs and tyres and gutted vehicles were a grim reminder of Monday’s arson and riots in the vicinity of Mysuru Road and Magadi Road on Tuesday.

On a normal day, shrill horns of buses and goods vehicles and traffic jams describe these roads the best. The KR Market, Nayandahalli, Deepanjalinagar, Vijayanagar and Magadi Main Road wore a deserted look, with just police personnel patrolling the area. People remained indoors due to the curfew and prohibitory orders.

There was an uneasy calm in New Timber Yard Layout, off Mysuru Road. There were more police personnel and patrolling vehicles than commuters. Gutted vehicles were left uncleared.

Just a km away, there were remains of about 20 lorries, four-wheelers and buses, which were partially or completely gutted . A resident said mobs did not harm anyone in the locality, where Tamils are in a minority.

“My wife and children are scared to move around. But the situation is returning to normalcy. With large police presence here, we hope there are no untoward incidents,” Krishnamurthy of Bapujinagar said.

Fruit and vegetable vendors were seen clearing their stocks by selling them cheap. Tomatoes, potatoes and onions were sold at less than Rs 5 a kg. Getting stocks for the next day was a worry as the Yeshwantpur APMC yard and other wholesale markets remained closed.

With hotels shut, Good samaritans like Subhash and his friend Suresh from Sanjaynagar were seen distributing packaged water bottles and biscuits to policemen and people. Fuel stations remained closed in areas where curfew was in force, while a few of them remained open in other areas.

Commercial establishments remained shut and paramilitary forces stood guard all along Magadi Road. Police kept a vigil over A2B Hotel in Binnypet, which was vandalised on Monday. A goods carrier near Byatarayanapura was set on fire by rioters. Paramilitary forces lathi charged a mob. A lorry bearing a Tamil Nadu registration number was set ablaze in Rajagopalanagar.

Protests erupted at Sunkadakatte in the afternoon as news about the death of Kumar, who was injured after falling from the third floor of a building on Monday, spread.