JOIN USNot all riots are pre-planned nor are they spontaneous, either. But after the first stone is thrown, nobody has any control over what course it may take or how it would end. A riot, once ignited, becomes its own master.
Rarely do riots take place on the spur of the moment, for even seemingly impulsive acts of violence are preceded by at least some amount of ‘thinking on the feet’, if not meticulous planning. Usually, tensions build up over a couple of days and it takes one trigger to let all hell lose. In the case of the recent ‘communal riots’ in DJ Halli and KG Halli in Bengaluru’s Pulakeshinagar, too, an offensive social media post appears to have been only a spark, with police investigations beginning to indicate that the real reasons lie elsewhere.
The apparent target of the rioters was the local Congress MLA, Akanda Srinivasa Murthy, whose house was reduced to ashes. The growing popularity of Murthy, who had joined the party from Janata Dal (S), is said to have angered some Congress old-timers who feared being marginalised in the constituency. While no conclusive proof has emerged as yet, it is significant that some Congress workers have been arrested or questioned by the police for their alleged role in the riots.
Murthy’s nephew, P Naveen, the man purportedly behind the communally sensitive post was himself in the eye of a storm with the local people accusing him of cheating them by promising sites, jobs and even a visit to Mecca. Besides, a majority of the population of the area, who belong to the lower income group, were restive, having been rendered jobless by the Covid-19 lockdown. The conditions could not have been more opportune for some “action”. Naveen’s social media post came as a perfect alibi for the masterminds of the riots to put their devious plan into action.
While in most disturbances, the singular aim of the perpetrators is to execute their ‘targeted objective’, in almost all cases, they soon lose control over the situation which turns into a free-for-all when the crowds take over. Thus, whoever starts a riot has no power to stop it. While a mob has a mind of its own and listens to no reason, it is also true that many personal agendas come into play, not to mention mischief-mongers making the most of the opportunity.
A rowdy may get even with a businessman who has been refusing to pay him hafta by burning down his shop; old family and political conflicts may be settled by attacking opponents and their properties; a young man may inflict injury on a girl who has spurned him; a pre-meditated murder may be made to look like a mob attack. And amidst all this, looters have a field day. Unless it is a methodically planned pogrom, a riot quickly passes on from the hands of its organisers to a completely different set of executors who may not even be aware of the masterplan. In the process, many personal scores are settled, but the blame falls on the riots.
Often, those participating in riots have some previous experience and follow a certain standard operating procedure. The first task is to prevent the entry of the police into the area concerned for as long as possible by blocking the approach roads so that maximum damage can be inflicted, before escaping. Laying siege to the local police station is also part of this plan. Simultaneously, streetlights and CCTV cameras are smashed to prevent identification of the culprits. The main perpetrators are typically the last to be apprehended because they make a quick getaway after executing the core plan, leaving the stage to the mindless mob.
The failure to gather intelligence, or to act on it, on the part of the police is also a major contributing factor, considering that some amount of preparation goes into fomenting trouble. It is inconceivable that the local police are blissfully unaware when activities like stocking sticks, swords and petrol bombs at vantage points are carried out right under their noses, even if clandestinely. This is a clear indication that the police do not have their finger on the local pulse either because of their inability to cultivate informers or due to sheer negligence, or both.
The frequent transfers of police officers at all levels, just as they are about to get a grip on their jurisdiction is also to blame. Though several commissions and court orders have recommended a fixed tenure for senior police officers, this is followed more in the breach in most states, including Karnataka, where police officers are at the mercy of the whims of their political masters. The reluctance of political parties to implement long-pending police reforms has only aggravated the problem.
Riots can alter the entire course of one’s life. While the architects of the trouble may escape unpunished and the other players, if convicted, may serve their sentence and walk free one day, life will never be the same for the victims who have lost their relatives or property. For them, the scars will remain forever.
(The writer is senior journalist and political commentator based in Bengaluru)