Parts of Bangalore bleed again

Parts of Bangalore bleed again
Deccan Herald

An 11-year-old boy was killed in renewed violence that engulfed parts of City on Sunday. The boy succumbed to injuries in police firing. He is yet be identified and police are perplexed as no missing complaint has been registered in any of the police stations.

Six people received bullet injuries in the firing, even as more than 70 people were injured in stone-throwing, arson and looting.

Unconfirmed reports said two more were killed in the police firing.

Nearly 40 vehicles, including BMTC buses, were torched in the fresh riots that rocked Bhartinagar, Frazer Town and Ulsoor police station limits in Bangalore East.

The violence erupted when some miscreants pelted stones at shops during the Virat Hindu Samavesha procession that was moving towards the Dr Ambedkar play ground, opposite Adarsha theatre, Ulsoor, at about 3 pm. Within a short span, it spread to the surrounding areas of Kamaraj Road, Thimmaiah Road, Nehrupuram, Arunachalam Mudaliar Road, Jumma Masjid Road, Jain Temple Road, A M Road, Lal Masjid ‘B’ street, Charminar Mosque Road, round Russel Market area, OPH Road and off Commercial Street.

Youths on rampage

Hundreds of youths took advantage of the situation and went on the rampage. Many shops, showrooms and houses were ransacked. Men in khaki tried their best to check the arson and looting but failed.

Shop-owners quickly downed their shutters and in no time, the streets became deserted. Meanwhile, curfew has been imposed in Bhartinagar and Frazer Town police limits till 7 am on Monday and prohibitory orders continued in Commercial Street and Shivajinagar police limits.

Meat shops in the Murphy Town corporation market were not spared. Chicken/mutton and beef stalls were gutted. Residents watched helplessly as mobs shouting slogans went on an arson spree.

More than 10 fire tenders were pressed into service in the vicinity. A mob even attacked one of the fire service vehicles and wrecked it.

Hide and seek

Police reinforcements which arrived on the scene were involved in a ding-dong battle with the rioters. It was a virtual hide and seek with miscreants armed with sticks and rods moving from one lane to another.

The police resorted to caning and burst tear gas shells to bring the situation under control. When the situation went out of control on Kamaraj Road, police opened fire. The 11-year-old boy was hit by a police bullet. He was shifted to Bowring hospital and was declared dead before being admitted. At this juncture, near Sultanj G Gunta Road-Bitullaha Mahal (behind Russel Market), Thimmaiah, a police constable, attached to the Shivajinagar police station was attacked in front of many police officers. A mob pulled Thimmaiah aside and one of them pulled out a sharp instrument and slashed his throat. A landmark building opposite Russel Market, V M Thirugnana Chetty, was also gutted right in front of the owners.

The weeping owner told Deccan Herald: “There was some problem with the building owners, but these thugs have taken advantage of the situation to spoil my business.”

Nearly 150 people, many of them youths, were detained. They were seen carrying deadly weapons. Police raided many houses which had stockpiled weapons. Here, the women folks came to the rescue of rioters by throwing chilli powder on the police.

Black Sunday

*Over 40 vehicles, including BMTC buses, trucks, autos and two-wheelers torched

*Curfew imposed in Bhartinagar and Frazer Town police limits till 7 am on Monday

*Prohibitory orders to continue in Commercial Street and Shivajinagar police limits

*Holiday declared for schools in Bhartinagar, Frazer Town and Shivajinagar police limits.

*Essential supplies not to be hit

*Head constable Thimmaiah stabbed, critical. Four other constables treated as inpatients at Bowring Hospital

*Over 150 picked up from riot-hit areas

Areas affected: Arunachalam Mudaliar Road, Jumma Masjid Road, Jain Temple Road, A M Road, Lal Masjid 'B' street, Kamaraj Road, Thimmaiah Road, Murphy Town, in and around Ulsoor Lake, Charminar Mosque Road, round Russel Market area, OPH Road and off Commercial Street.