The Hindu : Mob goes on a rampage in City Market area

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Mar 22, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka-Bangalore

Mob goes on a rampage in City Market area

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE MARCH 21. Chaos prevailed in the City Market area on Friday after hundreds of Muslims armed with choppers, swords, and wooden logs attacked policemen and damaged more than 45 BMTC buses and an equal number of private vehicles.

After offering prayers at the Jamia Masjid in the area around 1.55 p.m., they intended to take out a procession decrying the American invasion of Iraq. However, police attempted to prevent it as they had no permission.

At that moment, the mob, mostly youths armed with weapons, attacked the policemen, leaving the police inspector of K.R. Market police station, Siddaramaiah, a police head constable, Ningappa, and a CAR constable, Sanjeev Kumar, injured.

Later, the mob went on a rampage on N.R. Road, S.J.P. Road, and went towards Town Hall, damaging vehicles. They shouted anti-Bush and anti-American slogans.

The mob also attempted to set a BMTC bus on fire. But the police chased the miscreants, caned and dispersed them. While the police inspector, who suffered injuries on his head and neck, has been admitted to a private hospital, the CAR constable was treated as an outpatient at Victoria Hospital, and the head constable has been admitted to Victoria Hospital.

Taken aback by the violence, shopkeepers along N.R. Road and the S.J.P. Road downed shutters fearing attacks. Thousands of people were left in the lurch after the buses by which they were travelling were damaged, and they had to halt midway. A BMTC bus driver and a conductor sustained minor injuries in the stone throwing. Police said some leaders had made a provocative speech after the prayers inside the mosque which instigated the mob to resort to violence. They claimed that the attack was planned, which was evident from the fact that the mob was armed with weapons.

Police took to task Muslim leaders, who approached them later with a plea to have a peace meeting. The leaders were told that they did not make any attempt to stop the mischief-makers, let alone prevent them from unleashing a reign of terror.

The Deputy Commissioner of Police (West), G.B. Chebbi, rushed to the spot with reinforcements on hearing about the incident. He ordered policemen to patrol the entire City Market area and surrounding areas and rein in troublemakers. Later, he was joined by the DCP (Central), Gopal B. Hosur. The Commissioner of Police, M.D. Singh, the Joint Commissioner of Police, Jeevan Kumar Gaonkar, and the Additional Commissioner of Police, Doreswamy Naik, visited the area.

Normality was restored after 3 p.m. Shops and business establishments opened and the traffic, which had come to a halt, resumed.

The Assistant commissioners of Police, S.P. Naik, Lava Kumar, Nagarajaiah, and Rafiq Mulla, the police inspectors, B.B. Ashok Kumar, G.T. Ajjappa, Gejjal, Yeshwant Savarkar, and G.B. Kowry, are patrolling the area.

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