The riots held in Bengaluru following the social media post by the relative of a Congress MLA, killed 3 people and more than 100 were injured in the DJ Halli and KJ Halli police station on August 11 and August 12. On Monday ( August 17,2020), the government of Karnataka approached the Karnataka High Court for appointing the commissioner to manage and assessed the damage caused during the riots, to the private and public property as well as to recover the same from the culprit.
The police had nearly arrested 370 people from the riots. Police are investigating the riots and apart from getting CCTV footage from various places police are also examining the call records. Till now DJ Hall police station has recorded 49 FIRs and KG Halli registered 19 FIRs against the numerous accused.
On Monday, the police have arrested K Wajid Pasha, President of Tipu Sultan Alfath Trust. Some sources from the Bengaluru police who did not want to be named said, Wajid, who alleged to be a member of JDS was one of the masterminds of the riots. The Police HT, also told that Naveen, the accused, who posted the derogatory message on social media said that he was only responding to a post insulting Hindu’s Gods. There is also an interesting twist in the case, Firdous Pasha who registered the first complaint against the Naveen, the nephew of Congress MLA Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy for an alleged derogatory post, has said that his Honda Activa scooter was burnt by the rioters and registered a case against the rioters. He informed the police that he had come by scooter to the police station to lodged the complaint against Naveen and at that time he had parked the scooter outside the police station. The scooter is one of the privately-owned 66 vehicles which was burnt in the riots.
There was a meeting conducted by Chief Minister of Karnataka B.S. Yeddyurappa in which Home Minister Baswaraj Bommai, DGP Praveen Sood, ADGP (Law & Order) Amar Kumar Pandey, and Chief Secretary T M Vijaya Bhasker and another senior officer, it was decided to take stringent action against the rioters and culprits of DG Halli and KG Halli Police Station violence by invoking Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.
The Home Minister of Karnataka Bommai told the media about the meeting and said that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed which will invoke the Goonda Act in cases wherever the provisions are so attracted. He also informed that 3 Special Public Prosecutors have been appointed for the case. Bommai also said that the police are investing whether the rioters had any association with the terrorist or extremist organization.
Senior police officer also said that they are investing the case and they would find more rioters when the new evidence will be unearthed.
The riots took place took place on the night of August 11, provoked by an inflammatory Facebook post on Muslims that was posted by the nephew of Congress MLA Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy, a group of people arrived at his house in the protest which turned violent.
