In what can be termed as a major development in Bengaluru riots case, cops were able to unravel a suspected terror link to the case.
Bengaluru Cops questioned a man named Samiuddin who is suspected to have links with an organisation named Al-Hind.
Al-Hind has been under the radar of the National Investigative agencies for having connections to the dreaded outfit ISIS.
Over 300 people have been arrested until now and preliminary investigations have suggested the involvement of the SDPI and hint at its leaders having played a prominent role in the incident.
On the intervening night of August 15 and 16, the CCB police conducted raids at the SDPI office in Bengaluru’s Hegde Nagar.
Cops had arrested eight activists from the office and seized several weapons including metal rods and baseball bats from premises.
Karnataka govt weighs its options
In the wake of these developments, Karnataka government is also mulling over a ban on the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) and Popular Front of India (PFI) over their alleged role in Bengaluru riots.
Karnataka Rural Development Minister KS Eashwarappa said that the state government will take a decision on this during the cabinet meeting on August 20.
However, Congress has questioned the BJP over the course of the investigation and said that the BJP will have to provide more reasons if they want to ban SDPI in the state.
A special Crime Branch team is probing the violence at DJ Halli, KG Halli and the residence of Congress MLA Akhanda Srinivas Murthy.
Last week, Murthy had filed an FIR claiming that the the mob looted valuables worth over Rs 3 crore from his house after which they set his house and vehicles on fire.
Meanwhile, the family members of the man who put the controversial facebook post have now approached the cops. Naveen’s father, filed a complaint against the rioters for vandalising their house in the complaint urged the cops to take action against the rioters under SC/ST atrocities act.
What transpired on August 11
On the night of August 11, a mob went on a rampage in Bengaluru north-east suburb and this rampage led to rioting and arson subsequently leading to police firing to prevent the situation going out of control, killing three youth.
All this rioting is believed to be instigated by an alleged blasphemous post put by Congress MLA Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy’s nephew P. Naveen.
Akhanda Srinivas Murthy, had joined the Congress from the JD(S), won from the Pulikeshi Nagar constituency in the May 2018 state assembly elections for the second time.
For Congress, the riots, have posed a very tricky situation, the party is in a catch-22 situation. They are yet to decide if they want to support their MLA & seek tough action against the miscreant or resort to electorate appeasement & remain silent.