Home minister blames ‘unseen hands’ for Hubballi violence

Jnanendra said that the government was contemplating controlling the activities of such organisations, including imposing a ban on them

A day after Hubballi police arrested Muslim cleric Waseem Pathan in connection with the violence reported in the district on April 17, Karnataka home minister Araga Jnanendra on Friday, without naming anybody, said that many “unseen hands”, including certain organisations were behind the Hubballi clashes.

Karnataka home minister Araga Jnanendra (HT File)

Videos of Pathan addressing a mob outside a police station before the violence broke out had surfaced on social media earlier. The clashes broke out over an allegedly derogatory post on Islam that was being circulated on social media.Meanwhile, Hubballi police commissioner Labhu Ram said that the interrogation of the Muslim cleric is underway. “We arrested him yesterday (Thursday). We have just (Friday evening) got his police custody. We need time to interrogate him and find out his role in the violence,” said the commissioner.

Jnanendra said that the government was contemplating controlling the activities of such organisations, including imposing a ban on them.

“The Hubballi incident was to incite large-scale violence there. As our police acted immediately, the situation was brought under control in a couple of hours. The Maulvi (who allegedly instigated the mob) was arrested on Thursday and investigations are on to find who was behind the incident and what organisations were involved,” Jnanendra said.

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, he said, there will be a thorough inquiry as there are many unseen hands involved. “Innocent people were incited and sent on to the streets to indulge in violence. Some people are trying to create unrest in the society against a particular community and some organisations are involved in it,” he said.

“We are aware of who they are and we will find them...thinking is on in all aspects like banning and controlling them. We want peace and stability and all communities to co-exist,” he added.

Karnataka director general and inspector general of police (IGP) Praveen Sood said, “Strict action will be taken against all those directly or indirectly involved in the violence and no one will be spared.”

“Conspiracy angles, if found any will be dealt with. We have arrested all the accused who were directly involved and we need time to arrest the ones indirectly responsible, as technical investigation has to take place,” he said.

Warning against attacking police or police stations, Sood said, if there is a complaint, police will register it and act but showing anger against the men in uniform is not right.

On April 17, a mob had gathered outside a police station demanding action against the creator of the derogatory post, identified as Abhisheke Hiremath. A police complaint was filed in this regard and Hiremath was arrested.

The crowd then dispersed after police assured action. Later, around midnight, large number of people once again started gathering around the police station again, police said, adding that their leaders were summoned to the station and apprised about the action taken so far. However, the mob outside the station started resorting to violence, said police, adding that they damaged some police vehicles and resorted to stone-pelting. Later, the BJP leaders in the state had accused Pathan of instigating the mob to resort to violence.

However, in a statement released hours before his arrest, Pathan had claimed that he was trying to pacify the crowd and it was the police who asked him to get on top of a police vehicle. “As the numbers were increasing, I was called there to defuse the situation by talking to those gathered there. When I reached there, I had spoken with the police as well. It was the police who asked me to stand on top of the (police) vehicle and pacify the people,” he said.

Refusing his claims, the Hubballi commissioner said that the cleric had no reason for being in front of the station and the police didn’t ask him to get on the vehicle. “He lives around 4-5 km away from the riot site. He didn’t have a reason to be there. His claim that police asked him to pacify the crowd is false,” the officer added.

(With inputs from PTI).