PFI demands arrest of ‘communal cop’; warns to gherao commissioner’s office

Mangaluru, May 3: Hundreds of residents of Konaje and surrounding villages of Mangaluru taluk on Wednesday staged a protest in front of the Konaje police station on the outskirts of the city demanding immediate action against an inspector, who according to them, is not only a communal but also a criminal minded.

The Popular Front of India backed protest was organised under the banner of ‘Konaje Naagaria Samithi’. The protesters urged the Mangaluru City Police Commissioner to suspend Konaje Inspector Ashok P and arrest him for allegedly protecting the killers of Karthik Raj, a local youth, and trying to falsely implicate innocent Muslim youths in the murder case.

Speaking at the protest meet, PFI leader Shafi Bellare warned the city police chief of intensifying the protest if he failed to take necessary action against the inspector who harassed and tortured innocent Muslims. Recalling the recent protest staged by the PFI activists in front of the police commissioner’s office, he said that once again a massive protest will be staged in the same place by inviting all the Muslims of the coastal district.

Mr Bellare alleged that though inspector Ashok had received credible information about the involvement of victim’s sister and her paramour in the murder case, he tried to protect them and continued his efforts to implicate a Muslim youth in the case and thereby helped the saffron forces to disrupt peace in the society.

He said that the a few policemen, who return home in the wee hours, have also cultivated a habit of barging into the houses of Muslims after midnight illegally to nab and torture innocent youths.

Recalling instances of alleged police brutality, he said that the sleuths of Konaje police station had picked up Manjeshwar resident Shihab and tortured him in the illegal confinement for a week. Their intention was to fix him in the murder case and protect the real culprits. Similarly the cops had barged into the house of one Farooq at night and kicked his father’s head. The CCB police had also tried to fix Ahmed Qureshi in the Karthik Raj murder case, he alleged. More details are awaited.