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Hubballi violence: Police on lookout for cleric, 103 held
Hubbali police commissioner Labhu Ram told HT that police are on the lookout for Waseem and he has been absconding since the incident
Hubballi police are on the lookout for a maulvi (a Muslim cleric) in connection with the violence recently reported in the district as the total number of arrests in the case has gone up to 103, police commissioner Labhu Ram said on Tuesday.
The probe against the maulvi began after some videos were recovered from the phones of a few people arrested in connection with the case, police said. The person identified as Waseem by police is seen standing on a police jeep and addressing a mob outside the police station in the purported videos.
Labhu Ram told HT that police are on the lookout for Waseem and he has been absconding since the incident. “Our officers went to his house but they were not able to get him for questioning. We will get more information once we question him. As of now, we are not sure if he provoked the crowd or not. This is a matter of investigation. As of now, he has climbed on top of a police vehicle without authorisation and more information will be available when we question him,” said the commissioner. He further said that 14 new arrests were made in connection with the case on Tuesday. On Monday, around 49 persons were arrested.
“We are using CCTV cameras and the videos from those who have been arrested and those videos we have sourced over the last few days to identify the culprits. The investigation is progressing. Section 144 continues to be in effect,” he said.
The latest development has sparked a political slugfest in the state, with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) attacking Congress after Hubballi-Dharwad district Congress committee president Altaf Hallur, too, was seen in one of the purported videos.
HT was able to access two videos featuring the maulvi. However, it could not be verified whether he gave a provocative speech because of the poor audio quality. In one of the videos, he could be seen standing on a police jeep to address the mob, while in the other he could be seen mediating between the police and the mob. Reacting to the videos, Hallur said that he was trying to pacify the mob by standing on top of the jeep. “I was telling them to calm down. I didn’t have a mic with me, so I was standing on the vehicle to stop the mob,” he said.
When asked whether the maulvi gave an inflammatory speech, Hallur said that he couldn’t hear him since even he was not using a mic. “All I have to say is that let the police investigate and bring out the truth. The BJP is trying to create communal tensions while we are saying the law should take its course,” said Hallur.
Trouble began in the old Hubballi when an alleged objectionable post offending religious sentiments surfaced on social media late on Saturday night. The post allegedly showed a digitally altered image of a saffron flag flying over a masjid. Subsequently, the person who made the post – later identified as Abhishek Hiremath, a resident of Hubballi town–was arrested after a case was registered based on a complaint by residents at the Udupi town police station.
However, not satisfied with the action, a few people gathered around the police station. They were persuaded and later dispersed from the spot, Ram said.
Later around midnight, a group of people gathered around the police station and summoned police officials to apprise them about the action taken so far. The mob, however, refused to listen to them and went on a rampage, damaging police vehicles, Ram said.
A police inspector was believed to have suffered critical injuries. At least 10 people were admitted to the hospital with minor injuries.
On Tuesday, Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai dismissed the allegations that innocent people are being held in connection with the Hubbali violence and said arrests were made based on evidence. “No innocent person has been arrested. Based on the evidence, people have been arrested,” Bommai told reporters.
The chief minister said no one involved in the violence will be spared and the government will ensure that they are punished. “Those who take the law into their hands will face action. Attacking a police station is an unpardonable act,” Bommai said.
He was replying to a query on Opposition parties’ apprehensions that innocent people are being framed in the Hubbali incident.
Responding to the Congress party’s allegation that there was ‘Ravana Rajya’ instead of ‘Rama Rajya’ in the state, Bommai said what common people say is important, and not the opposition parties.
“We cannot expect anything better from the opposition,” Bommai said.
