MLA for Pulakeshinagar R. Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy lodged a complaint about the attack on his house at D.J. Halli police station on Friday.
The complaint, while not naming any suspects, has claimed damages to the tune of ₹3 crore. Mr. Murthy also sought police protection for himself, his family, and the citizens of his constituency. “There is nothing left in the house to call it home. It has to be demolished,” he said, alleging a conspiracy behind the attack. He said he had not named any suspects as he was also at a loss on the matter. “Muslims, Christians, and Hindus have been living in harmony in this area for decades. I think my voters would not have done this,” he said, hinting at outsider involvement.
Meanwhile, the city police arrested 60 more people on Thursday and Friday, taking the total number of arrests in the matter to 206. The police have been working with tower locations and call detail records to map out who were present at the sites of violence and who they had been touch with during the riots. More arrests are expected, senior police officers said.
The father of Farhan, one of the accused, passed away after suffering a massive cardiac arrest on Friday. The accused was released and allowed to participate in the last rites, sources said. Some of the undertrials have been shifted to Ballari prison.
The police are also cracking down on drug peddlers in D.J. Halli and K.G. Halli. “Many of the youngsters who were rioting that night were intoxicated and were in no state of mind to listen to any reason, which was also why it became tough to control the mob,” said a senior officer. A senior community leader, who unsuccessfully tried pacifying the mob that fateful night, also told The Hindu that ganja was being circulated.
Netra Narayan, JD(S) councillor from Kaval Byrasandra, told presspersons on Friday that the drug menace had gone out of hand in these areas with youngsters, mostly unemployed, being addicted to ganja.
