But the conduct and behaviour of local Congress MLA is strange. Is it all stage-managed to settle internal scores within his party; gain sympathy and win the next elections? Was it organised in order to blame the BJP government? Did he helped SDPI to vent its anger on various issues including Ayodhya, Article 370, triple talaaq? The entire episode is murky and bizarre!
“Kill them; let’s teach them a lesson of their life time” were the slogans being shouted at the top of their voice by a frenzied mob of over 200 persons armed with wooden clubs, lathis and petrol bombs, rushed towards D. J. Halli Police Station where some of the “leaders” were having talks with the Station House Officer (SHO) and insisting that a FIR be registered against one Naveen for uploading a derogatory post against Prophet Mohammed in his Facebook.
Even as the police and the leaders were discussing the issue, this mob started attacking the police station after locking up the main door as well as setting vehicles on fire. Curiously, the leaders of the minority community, who were talking with the Police Officers, managed to get out of the station. The police were sitting ducks at the hands of arsonists. Another mob of about 150 attacked K.G. Halli police station and set vehicles on fire. The third mob attacked the residence of Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy, Congress Dalit MLA, ransacked his house, looted the valuables and set his house on fire before escaping in the cover of darkness. The same mob attacked nearby houses and damaged vehicles parked on the road.
For more than 120-minutes there was mayhem and violence in and around at Kavalbyrasandra, a communally-sensitive and politically-volatile area in North-East Bangalore which is predominant of Muslims minorities. The area is also known for many mafias – petrol mafia, diesel mafia, drugs mafia and gang wars.
Banning Of SDPI Easier Said Than Done
However, banning of SDPI is easier said than done. The cabinet which met on Thursday (20th August), decided that the process of banning of SDPI will attain pace when once the Police Report is compiled and placed before the Home Department.
It is extremely difficult, almost impossible to ban SDPI, even if it is proved with documentary evidence that SDPI workers involved in the violent incidents not because it has enormous electoral clout and political influence but more because of technical reasons.
The SDPI lawyers will always argue before the court that “the workers (of SDPI) may have been involved in some violent incidents but theirs is a personal act done in their individual capacity and the party’s highest policy making body (whatever it is) has neither authorized nor justified nor defended violence. The party stands for social work and creating political awareness on the issues of secularism and communal harmony and hence banning is illegal”
If this line of argument is accepted by the court, then the workers involved in the violence could be punished as per the law but the party cannot be banned. This, perhaps, must have made Chief Minister B. S. Yediyurappa to defer the issue of banning SDPI from discussion.
A senior minister as well as a few party leaders confided on the conditions of anonymity that some of the ministers ought not to have declared about banning of SDPI. “Expression of Interest (to ban the outfit) after collecting documentary evidence and making a water-tight case” – should have been our stand but some among us jumped the gun without realizing its adverse consequences” a minister explained.
(S. A. H)
Was Violence Pre-Planned Or Spontaneous?
Both BJP and the government tripped while answering this question
It is on this statement – “that the violence was pre-planned” – the government is being pilloried by the Congress leaders.
IB sources confided that “there was no clue of the planning being done by the SDPI but it was later found out that scores of SDPI workers assembled at Arabic College about 30 minutes before a group of Muslim leaders went to D.J. Halli police station to lodge complaint against Naveen, nephew of MLA Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy, for uploading a derogatory post in his Facebook.
“The SDPI’s capacity to collect mob with violent instincts is something worrisome. There was hectic activity at feverish pitch via mobile between 7.05 PM and 9.20 PM which called for collecting mob at the Police Station. These have been confirmed after the Call Details Records (CDR) were deciphered”, a top IB officer told this correspondent on the conditions of anonymity.
(S. A. H)
Congress Has Soft-Corner For SDPI
Internal problems in Congress is cause of violence?
Says Dr Narendra Rangappa, a keen political observer; “What lends credence to this theory is that Akhanda has not filed complaint in anybody’s name; he refused to claim insurance; he was not present in the house when the house was gutted; even none of his family members were present; so much so, even the pets were taken away. How can the MLAs house be left deserted? Akhanda had no answers when media persons posed these questions”
No one can deny that the Muslim elements were waiting for an opportunity to vent their ire and anger on the issues of abrogation of Article 370;
banning of triple talaaq; November 2019 Supreme Court verdict on Ramjanmabhoomi; August 5 bhoomi poojan at Ayodhya by Prime Minister Narendra Modi – all these pro-Hindu developments had irked the Muslims and the youths were waiting for an opportunity to hit back. Uploading a derogatory post against Prophet Mohammed was a golden opportunity for SDPI to indulge in violence and vent the anger of the Muslim community. The internal problem within the Congress came in handy for the SDPI to use the occasion. And it did it with vengeance and mathematical precision.
Dangerous dimension of rioters having links with dreaded ISIS
About a week before the D.J. Halli riots took place, the media carried an extensive report that the dreaded ISIS is having presence in two Southern States of Karnataka and Kerala. The report quoted UN sources. Five days after the riots, the CCB picked up one Dr Abdur Rehman, an Ophthalmologist from M.S.Ramaiah College on the charges of providing logistical and technical support to ISIS. The Call Details Records (CDR) of this Dr Rehman revealed shocking details of him having regular contacts with the key players of the Kavalbyrasandra riots.
Dr Narendra Rangappa is of the view that Kavalbyrasandra is the continuation of what happened in Shaheen Bagh against CAA, East Delhi riots, Mangalore violence, Padarayanapura and now North-East Bangalore. “This is nothing but a global conspiracy of the jehadis to damage the social fabric; derail the economy; destroy communal harmony in the country,” he said.
Ground Zero Kavalbyrasandra continues to sit on a powder-keg; there is no violence now but anger among the Muslim community is intense and widespread as 390 members of them have been arrested and taken away to various jails in Karnataka such as Ballari, Belgaum, Mysore and Gulbarga. The CCB, the Cyber Crime wing of the CID and the local police continue to interrogate hundreds of them. Skeletons are tumbling out of the cupboard of SDPI as well the Congress one by one.
The arrest of a doctor from M.S. Ramaiah Medical College, who is suspected to be providing logistical and technical support to ISIS and who is said to be in touch with the key players of D.H. Halli violence are all alarming as well as disturbing. Going by the possibility of bigger players involved in this dangerous episode, the case is fit to be handed over to the National Investigating Agency. But the local police have prevailed upon B. S. Yediyurappa to allow them to complete their job of taking the issue to the logical end.
“We work on the principle of Justice to All, Appeasement of None”
No question of targeting anybody on the basis of community or religion
“This is most unfortunate, alarming as well as disturbing. I understand people who are agitated over something going on dharna or staging protest demonstration. But this orgy of violence targeting police personnel, police stations, vehicles and setting up road blocks – these are very alarming. This is a pattern that the perpetrators of violence have been following from Shaheen Bagh to East Delhi riots,” said Home Minister, Karnataka, Basavaraj Bommai in an exclusive interview with S. A. Hemanth. Excerpts:
Why look into terror angle in what is seen as a violence over Facebook post?
The Call Records Details (CDR) of some of those who are involved in violence reveal some dangerous dimensions. I cannot disclose those details but it is suffice to say that some of them have links with shady characters who could be working as front for some terror organisations. This is just to ensure that there is nothing murky.
How do you describe this new trend of arsonists targeting police and police stations?
This is most unfortunate, alarming as well as disturbing. I understand people who are agitated over something going on dharna or staging protest demonstration. But this orgy of violence targeting police personnel, police stations, vehicles and setting up road blocks – these are very alarming. This is a pattern that the perpetrators of violence have been following from Shaheen Bagh and East Delhi riots. I have been discussing with the police to prevent such incidents in future by coming out with Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
There is allegation that the BJP government is targeting only minority community members while arresting?
Naveen has been taken into custody and being interrogated. He is nephew of Congress dalit MLA Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy. This Naveen is the one who uploaded a derogatory post in his Facebook. What he has done is outrageous. Nobody has right to defame or speak ill of any religion. The police have made arrests based on CCTV footage; by confession of those who were detained. There is no question of targeting anybody on the basis of community or religion. Police will do and are doing a thorough professional job on the basis of merits. We work on the principle of “Justice to all; appeasement of none”.
Was the violence pre-planned or spontaneous? Is there any failure of the intelligence?
Going by the scale of preparation and the speed with which all these events happened, it looks like that it was well-organised. There is no intelligence failure. We have found out SDPI angle in the violence. It is well-knit organization; the members are clannish. Their capability to mobilise the mob with lethal weapons within a short span of time is a matter of worrisome. There was no prior information of planning. The Facebook post triggered the events. The feverish pitch with which the SDPI workers asked their members to come near those two police stations – have been taken note of. For such an organization, it is not impossible to mobilise the crowd.
What is the problem in banning SDPI?
We are working meticulously to make the case water-tight so that there is no legal or technical loophole. It will take some time.
“BJP government has utterly failed to protect a dalit MLA”
“It is the failure of the intelligence machinery & inept handling of the situation”
“Congress has nothing to do with the SDPI. Let’s see if the BJP government will be able to ban it. Congress does not support violence perpetrated by anybody, whether this organisation or that organisation, whether it is by minorities or majority,” said D. K. Shivakumar, President of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee, in an exclusive interview with S. A. Hemanth. Excerpts:
The charge against the Congress is that it has not condemned violence because it is perpetrated by Muslims. Please comment.
Congress does not condone or support violence of any form – physical, mental, psychological – by anybody. Violence is against the spirit of democracy.
But, then, you have not condemned it.
BJP has a phobia about the minorities. It jumps to criticise and pillory the minorities. Congress regards all communities as one and equal. We consider anti-social elements as anti-social elements irrespective of which community they belong to.
How do you read the violence in Kavalbyrasandra?
It is abject failure of the BJP government on many fronts. First, the intelligence machinery has utterly failed in its duty. I am surprised that the government had no clue about what was happening. Second, the BJP government has failed to protect dalit MLA. This shows BP’s anti-dalit attitude. Third, the government failed to control and contain the violence. It allowed it to spiral and spread to other areas. It only means that the Home Minister and others in-charge had no idea of how to handle such a situation.
What is your take on banning SDPI? BJP government says it will ban SDPI.
Congress has nothing to do with the SDPI. Let’s see if the BJP government will be able to ban it. Congress does not support violence perpetrated by anybody, whether this organisation or that organisation, whether it is by minorities or majority.
It is being said that the internal trouble within the Congress is the main cause of violence. Can you say something on that?
It is not correct. In every political party there are bound to be differences between leaders. But that doesn’t mean violence is the answer. We are matured enough to sort out the issues within four walls. But this violence at D.J. Halli and K.G. Halli areas is basically the failure of the government. The BJP is indulging in smear campaign against the Congress to cover up its own failures.
What next? What is Congress party’s demand and solution for this problem?
We have demanded a judicial enquiry. Nothing short of a judicial enquiry will unearth the truth. Those who are innocent and who have nothing to do with the violence must be released immediately. Criminals must be punished.
Leave Your Comment