The complaints registered by the Shivamogga police reveal the turn of events that led to violence at Ragi Gudda locality in the city during the Id Milad procession held on Sunday.
Among those who have filed the complaints are police officials who suffered injuries in the stone-pelting. However, the contents of the complaints divulge divergent details on who started it all.
Shrishaila Pattaneshetty, PSI of Shivamogga Rural police station, stated in his complaint that he and his staff suffered injuries in the stone-pelting. Narrating the turn of incidents, he said that at 5.45 p.m. on the day, a group of Muslim people scolded the people who were watching the procession standing roadside and threw stones at them. A group of over 150 to 200 Muslim boys ran, chazing the Hindu boys. Later, they threw stones at houses that belonged to Hindus. As the PSI and his staff intervened to stop them, they suffered injuries. The PSI has named Azaruddin, Anwar Pasha, Nabi, Imran, Irfan, Rafiq, Mosin, Sufi, Khaleel, Idayat Pasha, Sadiq Ahmed and Syed Khadeer as accused in the complaint.
In another complaint, Shivaraj Naik, police constable, stated that a group of 10-15 Hindu youths picked up an argument with Muslim people, who were participating in the procession. They scolded Muslim people with foul language. When the complainant intervened to stop them, they pushed him and threw stones at him. He suffered injuries.
Kavana, another police constable, has also filed a complaint naming several Muslim youths as accused.
So far, the police have registered 24 cases, including those filed by police officials. As many as 60 people have been arrested. Meanwhile, officers of the Internal Security Division of the police visited the locality on Wednesday and gathered information from the residents.
