Brawl after accident snowballs into communal clash; SDPI rally spoiled

Puttur, Nov 6: Two persons have been arrested in connection with the assault on a Trax Toofan cab driver late on Tuesday night at Perladakere near Kalara in Puttur taluk of Dakshina Kannada district.

The police have arrested the two accused on charges of assaulting a cab driver after he allegedly hit a bike and caused injuries to the rider. The incident took a communal turn as those who involved in clash belonged to two different communities.

The arrested have been identified as Mustafa and Yasin, both residents of Kadaba. After their arrest, the police are on the lookout for the other accused in the alleged assault.

The gang of six allegedly assaulted Toofan cab driver Kamalasksha (29) and his brother Mohan (27), residents of Kalleri in Balya village. They alleged that Kamalaksha hit the bike parked on Uppinangady-Subramanya state highway and fled from the spot.

Having been injured in the assault, Kamalaksha and Mohan were admitted to a private hospital in Puttur for treatment.

A case has been registered at Kadaba station against Mohammed Nasir, Shareef, Jaleel, Mustafa, Nebi and Yasin.

In the aftermath of the assault, a tense situation prevailed on Wednesday in Kadaba and surrounding areas.

The alleged hit-and-run accident caused several injuries to bike rider Mohammed Ansar, who was admitted to the hospital. Mohammed Ansar has lodged a police complaint stating that he was assaulted by cab driver Kamalaksha and Mohan.

Awareness rally reignites tension

When the situation was slowly returning back to normalcy on Wednesday evening, an awareness rally on Acche Din Ki Sachhayi' organised by members of SDPI arrived in Kadaba. The organizers criticized PM Narendra Modi and accused him of fooling people. This again led to the creation of a slightly tense situation among people in the town.

Within minutes, members of a Hindutva group gathered and directly protested against the slogans condemning Narendra Modi and the RSS, which sparked a verbal clash between the two groups.

Thereafter, the police intervened before the clash intensified and brought the situation under control. After warning the SDPI leaders not to make use of terms which offended the religious sentiments of other communities, the police allowed them to hold the meeting they had organised.

Security tightened

Additional police personnel have been deployed in Kadaba on the grounds of reports warning of intense protests and siege on the police station. Basic precautionary measures have also been taken to thwart the possibility of communal clashes in the town.

The cab drivers' union protested against the alleged assault and demanded the arrest of assaulters. A strike called by the union was observed in the town on Wednesday.