The Central Crime Branch in Bengaluru on Monday said they have arrested a man, who had allegedly asked people to gather in front of the DJ Halli police station on August 11 on social media. The man was arrested on Sunday from Hyderabad and is allegedly one of the key conspirators in the Bengaluru violence, where several vehicles, houses and police stations were torched and three people died.
The accused has been identified as one Mudassir Ahmed and had allegedly fled Bengaluru after the violence broke out. On the night of August 1, a mob had gathered in front of the DJ Halli police station, demanding the arrest of Naveen, nephew of Congress MLA Akhanda Srinivas Murthy, for putting up an offensive post against Prophet Mohammed on social media.
Already more than 300 persons have been arrested by the police in connection with the riots in DJ Halli and KG Halli police stations in east Bengaluru. Functionaries of the SDPI (Social Democratic Party of India) and husband of a Congress corporator are among those who have been arrested in the case. Even former Mayor and Congress corporator Sampath Raj has been questioned by the CCB. Among other sections, police have also invoked the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, and claimed many of the accused in custody were also linked to the Church Street (2014) and Malleshwaram bomb blast (2013) cases.
It may be recalled that three persons died as the police opened fire after a violent mob engaged in arson, wherein the police station and the local MLA’s house were partially gutted along with widespread damage to property. Another person who was arrested had also died due to a preexisting health complication.
Following the riot, the BJP government in the state had restarted conversation on banning SDPI and its parent social organisation Popular Front of India (PFI) under UAPA.
In one of the recent developments in the case, Muneshwara Nagar ward’s Congress corporator Sadija Syed’s husband Syed Nasir, was questioned on Friday. While he has not been arrested, his phone has been seized.
Incidentally, it was MLA Srinivas Murthy who had accused three of his own party’s corporators as conspirators of the riots in his complaint. Other notable involvements of Congress functionaries include 11 WhatsApp calls from Sampath Raj’s aide Arun Raj’s phone to SDPI Bengaluru district president Muzzamil Pasha.
While Arun is in police custody, Sampath Raj has claimed ignorance about these developments.