Shivamogga, Feb 21: Tension continued to prevail in parts of Shivamogga as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) forcefully imposed a bandh on Saturday in the district in the wake of communal clashes which claimed the life of a youth and caused widespread damages.
Police have arrested around 60 people in connection with the violent communal clashes and murder of a 32-year-old man in Shivamogga in the aftermath of Sangh Parivar attack on a unity march organized by the Popular Front of India on Thursday.
On Friday sporadic incidents of violence continued to occurred in parts of Shivamogga. Miscreants threw stones at a lorry at Vinobhanagar police outpost, besides torching four motorcycles at Kumbaragundi, Gandhi Bazaar, Kuvempu Road and Jail Circle localities. One bike belonged to a journalist. The office of the Congress party was also pelted with stones. There have been no casualties.
Meanwhile, Shivamogga district in-charge minister Kimmane Ratnakar visited the family of Vishwanath Shetty, who was fatally attacked by a mob at Gajanur, on the outskirts of the city on Thursday evening. He handed over a cheque for Rs five lakh to his family members.
The minister said the government would pay a total of Rs 10 lakh as compensation to the victim’s family. The remaining amount would be given shortly, he added. Besides, the government would bear the education expenses of Shetty’s two children, he promised.
Funeral Procession
Provocative slogans were raised by communal activists who took out a funeral procession of Vishwanath Shetty on Friday. The procession began from Nandini Layout and culminated at Rotary cemetery in the evening after passing through main streets of the city.
Police had asked shopkeepers across the city to put up shutters as a precautionary measure. As many as 2,000 police personnel were deployed in sensitive areas of the city. Fours SPs, eight DySPs and 120 sub-inspectors have been deployed in Shivamogga. Police personnel caned men who tried to indulge in stone-throwing.
Tumakuru SP Raman Gupta, who had served in Shivamogga earlier, was called to Shivamogga again. Bidar SP Karthik Reddy was made in-charge SP of Shivamogga as the regular SP, Kaushlendra Kumar, is out of town on official duty. Besides, circle inspectors and sub-inspectors who had served in Shivamogga were recalled too. Amar Kumar Pandey, ADGP, Internal Security Division, and M Nanjundaswamy, IGP, Eastern Range, have been camping in the city.
Deputy Commissioner V P Ikkeri has said prohibitory orders will remain in force till Wednesday. Holiday has been declared for schools and colleges on Saturday too
Gajanur villagers protest
Meanwhile, residents of Gajanur village staged a protest at the forest checkpost on Thirthahalli Road on Friday, alleging that Popular Front of India (PFI) activists had attacked them on Thursday night. They demanded their immediate arrest.
Meanwhile, K S Eshwarappa and other BJP leaders met police officers and urged them to arrest those responsible for the communal clash. Eshwarappa alleged that although people from various parts of the country and the State had come to Shivamogga to take part in the PFI?unity march, security had not been beefed up.
Also Read: Attack on PFI rally leads to communal violence, one killed, several injured
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