Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Kamal Pant on Sunday extended restrictions imposed under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure till 6 am of August 18 in areas under riot-hit DJ Halli and KG Halli police stations limits. This comes after a 24-year-old man, accused of being one of the rioters, succumbed to his injuries at the Bowring Hospital on Saturday.
Incidentally, the man had tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The deceased Sayyad Nadeem, a resident of KG Halli, was arrested on the morning of August 12.
As widely reported, a violent mob had broken out and attempted to burn down a police station along with other acts of arson in east Bengaluru on Tuesday night. The violence broke out over alleged police inaction over a communally-charged social media post by Naveen, the nephew of Congress MLA Akhanda Srinivas Murthy.
Although Naveen deleted the Facebook post against Prophet Mohammed, a mob gathered at DJ Halli police station, demanding his arrest. Meanwhile, the MLA’s house was partially gutted as was the basement of the DJ Halli Police Station by the same mob. Many vehicles, including that of a Deputy Commissioner of Police, were burnt. Police had to open fire to contain the violence. Four persons, including Sayyad, died in the incident.
However, a police statement clarified that the fourth deceased, Sayyad, did not have any bullet-induced injuries. He was admitted to the hospital only on Saturday morning for operation in his stomach.
Meanwhile, the police, including the Central Crime Branch, have arrested people from the riot-hit areas as the violence was contained by Wednesday morning.
As of Sunday, 340 persons have been arrested in the incident. Among the arrested are leaders of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) and the husband of a Congress corporator.
The man accused of putting the social media post, Naveen, is also currently in police custody.