Mangalore, Feb 25: Keeping forward some of the key points of the final report of the fact-finding on the recent disturbances in Ullal jointly prepared by People's Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL) and Karnataka Komu Souharda Vedike (KKSV), members of the fact-finding committee said that what was a small criminal incident that occurred in Ullal was portrayed and heightened as a communal clash by vested interests.
Addressing mediapersons at a press conference here on Tuesday, PUCL state president P B D'Sa said that the team had visited Ullal following the recent disturbances in the area and found that there was an unruly group of Muslim youth operating in Ullal that was indulging in consumption and dealing of drugs.
From about a month ago, the group had started harassing Mogaveera residents in the area by throwing stones on their houses and knocking on doors at night. The significant fact is that no complaint has been registered at Ullal police station regarding the harassment, he said, pointing that it was after these incidents that persons from the Mogaveera community resorted to take matters in their own hands and assaulted few Muslim youth in the early hours of February 5.
Police failure and atrocities
Stating that the police had failed in their duty to control and disperse the mob from creating untoward clashes in the area, Mr P B D'Sa said that they had painted the entire issue as communal in nature. There is an unholy alliance between the police and few drug-dealing gang members operating in Ullal.
The stone-pelting incidents were criminal acts and the police terming them as 'communal' is baseless, he said, pointing that the real culprits and drug-dealers were not arrested by the police.
Shedding more light on the events that occurred in the aftermath of the initial incidents, KKSV district president Suresh Bhat Bakrabail said that the police were involved in barging into the homes of Muslims in Kotepura and Kodi in Ullal and assaulting innocent residents late at night on February 6.
"Nowhere was it reported in the media that the houses were barged into and people were assaulted in Ullal. There is also no record of the major clash that took place on February 5 at 3.30 p.m. when mobs of either group clashed with each other. The committee feels that only a thorough inquiry can bring out the role of the disruptive forces in fomenting the disturbances. Such anti-social elements need to be quickly identified and nullified before they succeed in causing more untold harm," he said.
The fact-finding committee has visited several homes of Muslims in Kotepura and Kodi on February 12 and 13 and prepared a list of incidents verifying the assaults carried out by the police along with few persons from the Mogaveer community.
The team observed the damages in the houses they visited and recorded the statements of the victims who were allegedly subjected to police atrocities in the ensuing night between February 5 and 6, including two local Muslim clerics and young Muslim boys.
"While visiting the area, however, we did not come across any incident regarding the police barging into homes of Mogaveer residents in Mogaveerpatna," said Mr D'Sa.
Both organisations, PUCL and KKSV, have demanded that a thorough and impartial inquiry is conducted on the issue headed by a sitting judge of the High Court.
They have also demanded the immediate arrest of all drug peddlers and release of all innocent persons arrested by the police, along with a suitable compensation to victims of police atrocities.
Other members of the fact-finding committee include PUCL district vice-president Kabeer Ullal, treasurer Bertram Pinto, member Colin D'Silva, KKSV secretary Ismat Phajeer and vice president of AHINDA Vishwanath R Puthran.
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