Torn pages of Quran found on footpath

Hundreds of pages of the Quran were found scattered on the pavement in front of the high-security Vidhana Soudha on Thursday afternoon. Passers-by collected the torn pages and handed them over to the police, demanding that they track down the culprit.

Mohammed Ilyaz, a 32-year-old electrician from Venkateshpuram, who filed the complaint, said he saw the pages around 3.15 p.m. while he was dropping his sister to a college on his scooter. He saw hundreds of pages scattered in front of the Vidhana Soudha on Ambedkar Veedhi Road, near Gopal Gowda Circle. A group of people was collecting the pages.

“A gardener, who was tending to the Vidhana Soudha lawns, claims to have seen someone throw the papers from a moving bus. This could be an act of mischief-mongers trying disturb the peace," Ilyaz said.

Based on the complaint, the Vidhana Soudha police registered an FIR under Section 295 (injuring or defiling a place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class) and are trying to track down the culprit.