Police patrol deserted Bengaluru streets after Facebook post sparks clashes

Date:

Bengaluru, Aug. 12, 2020 Baton-wielding police patrolled barricaded and deserted streets in parts of the southern Indian tech hub of Bengaluru on Wednesday, after three people were killed in overnight clashes triggered by a Facebook post offensive to Muslims.

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The violence began on Tuesday, with mobs pelting stones, burning vehicles and setting a police station on fire, and lasted until the early hours of Wednesday, while dozens of people were wounded.

“Seeing that much fire, smoke and the violence was really scary. I was really frightened.

“We’ve only seen such things on TV,” said Ahan Khan, a college student who lives near the police station in northeast Bengaluru.

Police said the person responsible for the offensive post, which has since been deleted, had been arrested.

A spokesman for Facebook said it was investigating, adding its standards prohibit hate speech and incitement to violence.

Bengaluru Police Commissioner Kamal Pant said his officers had initially tried to hold back around 1,000 protesters using batons and tear gas, but then opened fire.

“The police had no escape and they had to resort to firing and three people died,” Pant said, adding that 110 people had been arrested for alleged vandalism and attacking the police.

A medical officer at the government-run Bowring hospital said they had treated no fewer than 27 injured policemen and 12 protesters, including three who had suffered gunshot wounds.

A police official said an emergency law prohibiting gatherings had been imposed in Bengaluru, a city of 12 million people known as India’s Silicon Valley.

Police gave the first name of the accused man as Naveen, and said he was the nephew of a Congress politician, whose house was attacked and burnt in the violence.

The politician, R. Akhanda Murthy, appealed for calm in a video message carried by media.

“We’re all brothers. Whatever crime has been committed, let the law teach them a lesson, I appeal to our Muslim brothers and everyone else to maintain peace,” Murthy said.

Television channels on Tuesday showed a group of people gathered outside a police station, clashing with officers and burning several police vehicles.

“We are investigating the issue and will make use of the CCTV footage to see who is behind these violent acts, and will take stringent actions,” Basavraj Bommai, home minister of Karnataka state, where Bengaluru is located, said.

Naija247news
Naija247newshttps://www.naija247news.com/
Naija247news is an investigative news platform that tracks news on Nigerian Economy, Business, Politics, Financial and Africa and Global Economy.

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