Bengaluru: Three killed in police firing as mobs riot; MLA's kin held for Facebook post

BENGALURU: Three people were killed in police firing when mobs went berserk over an alleged inflammatory social-media post by a Congress MLA's relative in east Bengaluru late Tuesday night.

Delayed police action against Naveen, 35, who had allegedly posted on his Facebook account material offensive to a community, led infuriated mobs to riot. He is the nephew of Pulakeshinagar Congress MLA Akhanda Srinivasamurthy.
Naveen was arrested around 2am Wednesday. By then, the mobs had attacked KG Halli and DJ Halli police stations, burnt police vehicles and injured scores of personnel. The Karnataka government on Wednesday ordered a magisterial probe into the violence. A total of 145 men, including Muzammil Pasha, a leader of the state unit of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), have been arrested in connection with the violence in which 17 vehicles were torched and 73 others damaged. The violence left 70 police personnel, including senior officers, and 35 others injured.
The mayhem in Kavalbyrasandra, KG Halli, and DJ Halli ended in the early hours of Wednesday after reinforcements rushed to the troubled localities, burst teargas shells, resorted to lathicharge at several places and opened fire to quell violent agitators. Police officials were tightlipped about the places where police opened fire; however, sources said 20 rounds were fired.
One of the dead infected with Covid-19
Two of the dead were identified as Yasin Pasha, 28, and Wazid Ahmed, 25, of KG Halli. Pasha assisted his father in their mutton stall, while Ahmed did odd jobs. One of the dead persons tested positive for Covid-19.
The protests began around 7pm on Tuesday, with a small group of people gathering at the Pulakeshinagar MLA’s house in Kavalbyrasandra with their grouse against Naveen and another group approaching KG Halli police station with a complaint against the FB post.
Soon, the protest took a violent turn, with mobs vandalising the MLA’s house and that of his nephew nearby. A bid to torch Naveen’s house was foiled as a fire tender arrived in time.
While police sought time to look into the complaint, mobs attacked KG Halli and DJ Halli police stations.
Vehicles parked on the roadside in both station limits were torched and turned into barricades to prevent reinforcements from rushing in. After bursting of tear-gas shells and lathicharge failed to disperse the mobs, police opened fire.
On Wednesday, senior IPS officers, including additional commissioners of police, were stationed in KG Halli and DJ Halli. Paramilitary forces of Karnataka State Reserve Police carried out a flag march in the lanes of DJ Halli and KG Halli from morning to night.
The roads appeared to go into a selfimposed lockdown as residents remained indoors, shops did not open and traffic was restricted.