Belagavi, Oct 13: A tense atmosphere prevailed in the city after hoisting of green flags near Shetty Galli area as part of Muharram celebration led to communal clashes in the region.
Nearly a dozen vehicles, including a police jeep were damaged in the incidents of stone pelting and arson. Miscreants damaged three auto-rickshaws, set another on fire, stoned four four-wheelers and a police jeep.
Following a heated arguments, the two groups belonging to different religious communities took to stone throwing at Shetty Galli. The violence spread to other sensitive areas of the city such as Bhadkal Galli, Chavat Galli, Khadak Galli and Darbar Galli on Tuesday night, the police said.
The trouble began when a group of people belonging to hardline Hindutva outfits staged protest and pelted stones when the Muharram flags were hoisted at the Shetty Galli corner. Sad part is, the clash took place when people celebrating holy festivals Dasara and Muharram.
Now the situation is under control with the heavy police security has deployed in the tensed areas including KSRP platoons. Police have taken 31 people belonging to both communities in to the custody including two corporators of Belagavi City Corporation - Mujmil Ahamad Doni of Ward 35 and Amtin Shaikh Ali of Ward 37.
According to local sources, stone pelting started on top roofs at 11.30pm at Chaval Galli, Shetty Galli and Jalagar Galli, and continued for few minutes. At the time, people coming out of homes, police led by DCP Radhika reached the spot and arrested miscreants engaged in creating disturbance. According to police sources, stone pelting began after few minutes of the meeting held by both councillors.
Women stage protest
In the backdrop of incident, women from Chavat Galli and Shetty Galli stage protest in the premises of city police commissioner's office blaming the police for taking innocents into custody. Women also alleged that police entered their houses breaking the doors at midnight and took the family members into custody who were innocent and nothing to do with riot. They urged the commissioner immediate release of innocents.
BJP leaders including MP Suresh Angadi, former MLA Abhay Patil, advocate Anil Benake and Kiran Jadhav visited the areas stone pelting occurred. Speaking on the occasion, Suresh Angadi blamed police for taking biased action. "It looks police are targeting people of one particular community bowing to the political pressure and arresting innocent youths" he said and urged immediate release of innocents.
On Wednesday morning, Belagavi North MLA Feroz Sait and Congress city unit President Asif (Raju) Sait rushed to the police commissioners office and held closed-door discussions with senior officers.
The kidnapped schoolboy was rescued by the police and reunited with his parents. Son of a gift shop owner from Basavanagudi area in Bengaluru, Chirag has reportedly told police that decided to make some quick money to spend on cricket betting and gambling after learning kidnap tricks from the ‘Crime Patrol’. According to police, Chirag reached a private school around 3pm on Tuesday on a Bounce rental bike and zeroed in on a fourth standard student who was walking out of school. He told the boy he was his father's friend and that he required help to search for a relative who had gone missing. The boy believed Chirag and rode pillion on the bike. Chirag then engaged the boy in conversation and learnt about his father's business and got his mobile phone number. He then made a call to the boy's father, demanded Rs 5 lakh and warned him against approaching cops. However, the boy's father alerted Cottonpet police and special teams were formed to crack the case. While Cottonpet inspector Venkatesh TC's squad verified CCTV footage in and around the school, Chamarajpet inspector BG Kumaraswamy's team started tracking the suspect's mobile phone movements. An hour later, the suspect's location was traced to a hotel on the Lavelle Road-St Mark's Road stretch. Police rushed there, rescued the boy and arrested Chirag.
Comments
Media report on closed door discussin between police commissiner and congress leaders is nothing but bias and completely false. Everyone knows that Media belongs to, managed by and working for sangh parivar. As real terrorists of sangh parivar are arrested, their leaders are shivering due to fear that real culprits behind the planned attack on Muharram procession will be brought to notice.
It is clear that the trouble and goondagiri started by the terrorists of Sangh Parivar and when police caught the real culprits sangh parivar is blaming police. What a shame. Chore ulta kotwal ko dante. Police should not bow to political pressure from bjp leaders and arrest the terrorists under goonda act. It was well planned attack by Sangh parivar goondas/terrorists.
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