Former Mayor Sampath Raj named accused in Bengaluru riots case

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KEY STORY

  • Bengaluru: The Bengaluru Crime Branch has named Congress leader and former city mayor Sampath Raj and sitting corporator Zakir Hussain in its preliminary charge sheet on the riots that broke out in the city on 11 August.
  • The riots that left three persons dead were sparked by a derogatory Facebook post on Prophet Muhammad allegedly put up by P. Naveen Kumar, nephew of Pulakeshinagar MLA Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy of the Congress. Murthy’s house was attacked too.
  • In the 850-page charge sheet filed in a local court Monday, the police have named Raj and Hussain as accused number 51 and 52. Another Congress leader Kaleem Pasha has already been arrested in the case.
  • Sources in the police said they found several phone calls and messages linking Raj to some of those who were part of the riots. They added that Raj and Hussain were called for questioning on 18 September but did not turn up.
  • The Print attempted to contact the two Congress leaders through texts, WhatsApp messages and calls but received no response.
  • Joint Commissioner (Crime) Sandeep Patil confirmed to ThePrint that the preliminary charge sheet has been submitted based on the FIR filed by Congress MLA Akhand Srinivas Murthy.

CONCLUSION

  • The rioters also torched many police and private vehicles, badly damaged the house and looted the belongings of MLA Murthy and those of his sister. So far, 421 people have been arrested, including the Social Democratic Party of India leader Muzammil Pasha.
  • The National Investigation Agency is also probing the matter and has nabbed the prime accused in the case.
  • Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai had claimed that the internal strife in the Congress, coupled with the coming BBMP (city corporation) elections, had resulted in the violence in Pulakeshinagar.
  • Rubbishing his statement, state Congress chief D K Shivakumar had charged the government with trying to ‘cover up’ its failure to prevent the riots by giving misleading statements

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