Mangalore, May 19: An act of stopping a cricket ball heading towards the boundary at a cricket match sparked off clashes at Thokur under Surathkal police station limits near here on Sunday.At least six persons sustained injuries and five vehicles were damaged in this incident.
It was a match between the Maradaguni and the Shediguri teams in a ground in Prem Nagar near Maradaguni. Members of the team from Kodigere, who had won a previous match, were standing near the boundary.
The Maradaguni team members raised objection when the Kodigere team members stopped the ball well before the ball crossed the boundary line. Following a heated exchange, a few among the Maradaguni members reportedly hit Prajwal (18) and Somanath Shediguri (30), the supporters of Kodigere team. After this attack, the Kodigere team members came with a group of people and allegedly assaulted Ashraf (20), Sadiq (28), Ismail (20) and Riyaz (30). They damaged two motorcycles, a mini goods van, a van and a three-wheeler luggage vehicle, the police said.
Two injured persons have been admitted to a hospital in Surathakal, while three other victims were at a hospital in Falnir. Riyaz has not been admitted to the hospital.
Prajwal, a Karnataka Polytechnic student, said he was among the many from Kodigere watching the match. “The Maradaguni players were unhappy with stoppage of the ball within the boundary line. They hit me and also Somnath, who tired to intervene, with stumps.” Both have bursaries all over the body.
Ismail, a Maradaguni resident, said a big group of Kodigere residents came in different vehicles when he was sitting near his house in Maradaguni. They hit Ashraf and Sadiq. Sadiq was reportedly chased and was hit by a sharp weapon on his fingers. The group then damaged vehicles parked, Mr. Ismail said.
City police authorities rushed a platoon of Karnataka State Reserve Police to the area to prevent the situation from escalating even as police stepped up efforts to nab those behind the incident.
City police chief R Hithendra said the above mentioned incident triggered a spat among youth from two communities leading to stone pelting and violence.
Five vehicles including a 407 tempo, a Maruti Omni, an Ape goods carrier, and two motorcycles were damaged in the incident, Hithendra said, adding five of those injured including two from one community and three from another have been admitted in hospitals in Surathkal and the city.
Hithendra said the accused will be nabbed at the earliest and suitable arrangement has been done in the area. While a case of unlawful assembly, rioting, and rioting armed with deadly weapons has been registered in Surathkal police station in connection with this incident, a separate case of mischief causing damage has been registered in Panambur police station in connection with damage to vehicles at Maindaguri following the incident.
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