Friday fury: Mob goes on rampage in City

Friday fury: Mob goes on rampage in City
Deccan Herald

A mob assaulted public and police personnel, wrecked several vehicles, private properties and two places of worship after another group protested against damage to some banners of a convention put up in the locality.


Large-scale violence and arson broke out in Bharatinagar police limits in Bangalore on Friday evening.

A mob assaulted public and police personnel, wrecked several vehicles, private properties and two places of worship after another group protested against damage to some banners of a convention put up in the locality.

The police resorted to caning, burst tear-gas shells and opened four rounds of fire in the air to quell the violent mob. Nearly 50 people including Frazer Town sub-division assistant commissioner of police K V Puttathimme Gowda, were injured; 50 vehicles and several houses and shops were damaged. The situation was tense but under control late in the night.

Seppings Road, Kamaraja Road, Thimmaiah Road, Thambuchetty Road and Narayana Pillai Street bore the brunt of the violence between 5:30 pm and 8 pm.

Eyewitnesses said the mob even chased the police from the locality before additional forces were pressed into action. The situation came under control only after Mr Gowda loosed off four rounds of fire from his revolver.

The trigger

According to Police Commissioner N Achuta Rao, a group from K G Halli area was on its way to a rally organised to condemn the execution of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein at the Shivajinagar stadium in the evening. Some members of the group damaged banners put up by the organisers of a forthcoming convention to be held in the locality, at around 5:30 pm.

This sparked a minor clash between the locals and the rally-bound group. The rally was organised by the People’s Front led by former MP C K Jaffer Sharief.

The clashing groups were dispersed by the police. However, the K G Halli mob regrouped later and indulged in violence in the area by torching some two-wheelers, including a Cheetah police patrol vehicle.

Cars parked on both sides of the roads were wrecked. The mob also barged into some houses and assaulted the inmates, besides damaging hotels, shops and other establishments. A couple of shops were also set on fire, the police said. After sometime, another group protesting against the mob violence, resorted to stone throwing and damaged vehicles on the Kamaraj Road-Thambuchetty Road junction besides attacking people going on two-wheelers. Mr Javed, a businessman from Benson Town, came to the police station saying that a group stopped his vehicle on Kamaraj Road and broke all the window panes.

Mr Saravanan (27), who was sitting at the Bharatinagar police station with head injuries, said he was attacked by the mob when he came out of a place of worship on Seppings Road.

“My husband Anandappa (60), a barber, was seriously assaulted by the mob which barged into our house while chasing a woman. My two children – Kamaresh (27) and Suresh (23) – were also assaulted by the mob inside the house,” said Yashodamma, while showing blood stains in the house.

The main door of the house of Mr Rajanna was broken by the mob. He said it all happened in front of the police. Mr Naveen Siyal, a resident of Narayana Pillai Street, said the local MLA, Nirmal Kumar Surana, was hardly of any help when when he telephoned him.

Mr K Ganesh, a resident of the area, said some miscreants had even damaged places of worship belonging to two other communities. “The group brandishing sticks, iron pipes and chains went on raising slogans and abusing the people in the locality,” he said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) P Muniswamy said three police constables, one assistant sub-inspector of police and the ACP sustained minor injuries. He said two people were arrested soon after the incident and the police were on the look out for others.

GHOSTS OF AN EXECUTION

*Rallyists against Saddam hanging go berserk

*The trigger: protest against damage to a banner

*Shops, two-wheelers set on fire

*Police officer opens fire

*Two persons arrested, more arrests to follow