For the last four days, residents of Kadugondanahalli (KG Halli) and Devarajeevanahalli (DJ Halli) in Bengaluru have been confined to their homes, occasionally peeking out of windows and balconies for a glimpse of life outside. Even as calm prevails in the two areas, there is still palpable tension.
Sitting in her house located close to the KG Halli police station, Ameena* says she is glued to the television to check for developments in the police investigation over the riots that took place on Tuesday in eastern Bengaluru. Her husband was arrested by Bengaluru police hours after the riots ended.
“They cannot show evidence which shows my husband did anything unlawful that day. Yet the policemen came into our house and took my husband away at 4 am (on Wednesday). It has been four days now and we haven’t heard anything from the police since then,” says a distraught Ameena. She added that the door of a neighboring house was broken down by the police.
“I condemn the rioting and the police should take action against those who were involved in it. Many of them have escaped but there are innocent people in our area who have now become targets for the police,” Ameena adds.
Her husband was among more than 200 people arrested in connection with the violent mob attacks at two police stations and the residence of an MLA in the eastern part of the city on Tuesday night. This includes Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) leaders including its Bengaluru district president Muzammil Pasha and the husband of a Congress corporator.
The police station in KG Halli was one of two police stations which were attacked by a mob of rioters who were triggered by a Facebook post offensive to Muslims.
The residence of Congress MLA R Akhand Srinivas Murthy was also attacked. It was his nephew Naveen P who made the Facebook comment which led to the violence which began on Tuesday night ended in the early hours of Wednesday after police opened fire against the mob. Three people were killed by gunshot wounds while several others including police personnel and journalists were injured.
Senior police officials said it was one of the deadliest riots in the city in recent years. Rioters torched several police and civilian vehicles while the basement of DJ Halli police station was set on fire leaving charred remains of cars and motorcycles parked inside.
The police response to the incident began early as 4 am on Wednesday morning, barely hours after the violence had died down. Police personnel swooped down the narrow bylanes of KG Halli arresting over 100 residents in the area. Lines of police officers searched the homes of residents and arrested young men between the ages of 18 and 40. One local resident said that her 17-year-old son studying in class 12 was also among the people arrested. Others arrested included students, food delivery agents, mechanics, and technicians working in various repair shops in the area.
“We had gone to sleep at 2 am when the situation had turned calm but within a couple of hours, we heard the police knocking on our door. We thought we were safe because we lived close to the police station and we expected the police to ask questions about what we saw during the violence. But instead, the police took away my husband without asking questions or giving us information. We were told it was for an enquiry but they were taken away in a bus along with many others in our area and we have not heard anything since then,” says a resident of KG Halli.
In all, over 200 people were arrested and 43 first information reports (FIR) were registered by the police in connection with the violence. This included residents in nearby areas like Kaval Byrasandra, where MLA Akhand Srinivas Murthy’s house is located, and Tannery Road. COVID-19 tests were conducted on all those who were arrested and the test result of one of the accused persons has returned positive. 24-year-old Sayyad Nadeem tested positive after he died of a stomach complication on Saturday.
"Around 70 people were arrested in the last 24 hours taking the total number of arrests over 200. We are now questioning the suspects. Police teams are reviewing footage of the incident collected from the public and from social media,” SD Sharanappa, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Bengaluru East) told TNM.
SD Sharanappa, DCP Bengaluru (East) also denied the allegation that innocent people were being arrested. “If there are innocent people and there is no evidence against them, they will be released. The police are in the process of verifying footage and zeroing in on those who were part of the violent mob,” the DCP said. 80 of the arrested persons were transported to Ballari while the others were detained in locations in Bengaluru, he added.
Since Wednesday, a curfew prohibiting gatherings has been in place in Banaswadi sub-division in the city. “We are working with the central paramilitary force to ensure that we conduct regular route marches in sensitive areas,” Sharanappa added.
Barricades were placed on the main roads leading to the two police stations from Frazer Town and Nagawara. Heavy police and paramilitary presence was present in the area on Saturday, four days after the violence. The movement of residents was restricted even as police continued to make more arrests in connection with the violence. “There is now an atmosphere of fear and we are glued to the television just like on Tuesday night to check for any fresh developments,” a 24-year-old resident of the area said.
A group of women were seen outside both KG Halli and DJ Halli police station seeking information from the police about their family members who were arrested. They say they have been kept in the dark about the whereabouts of their family members and the progress of the investigation.
The arrested persons were charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code including 143 (unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting armed with deadly weapon), 427 (damage to public property), and 436 (arson).
However, activists and advocates in Bengaluru questioned the police’s actions in DJ Halli and KG Halli. “The police cannot indiscriminately arrest people and should follow procedure in making arrests. There should be a fair inquiry without harassment,” activist and advocate Vinay Sreenivasa said.
As per the judgement in the case related to the police powers of arrest - DK Basu vs State of West Bengal - police officers should prepare a memo of arrest attested by a witness who is a member of the family or a local resident. The detained person is also entitled to informing a friend or relative about their whereabouts.
It has now been over four days since the violence and family members of arrested persons say that they are seeking information about the arrested persons and the police investigation into the violence.
"We are asking for information about where they have been taken and what they have been charged with.. We need to talk to them and know they are okay. We can’t sleep every night with fear. We are still hearing that more people will be taken away," a resident in KG Halli said.