Aland police have filed four First Information Reports (FIRs) with regard to the violence on March 1 at Aland in Kalaburagi district over the controversial ‘purification puja’ to a Shivalinga allegedly located in Ladle Mashak Dargah.
Superintendent of Police Isha Pant and Circle Inspector of Police (Aland) Manjunath S. told The Hindu that no member of any right-wing organisation has been named in the FIRs.
The police have also taken 167 persons into custody for questioning.
However, Aland tahsildar Yallappa Subedar, exercising his powers conferred under Section 200 of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), submitted two reports to the jurisdictional magistrate seeking action against members of both Muslim community and right-wing organisations under Section 188 of CrPC (punishment for disobedience to an order duly promulgated by a public servant) for violating the prohibitory orders imposed by Deputy Commissioner under Section 144 of CrPC. However, he refused to divulge the names of persons mentioned in the reports.
Earlier on February 28, police had registered an FIR against ‘unknown persons’. The content of the complaint indicated charges against members of the Muslim community.
On March 1, defying prohibitory orders imposed by Deputy Commissioner Yeshwanth Gurukar under Section 144 of CrPC, BJP leaders, including Union Minister Bhagwant Khuba, MLAs Subhash Guttedar, Rajkumar Patil Telkur and Basavaraj Mattimadu, and the party’s State unit vice-president Malikayya Guttedar led right-wing activists to Hazrat Ladle Mashak Dargah to offer ‘purification puja’ to a Shivaling allegedly located in the dargah premises. The move triggered tensions between Hindu and Muslim communities.
In the violence that broke out subsequently, several people were injured and vehicles of the Deputy Commissioner, Superintendent of Police and Assistant Commissioner were damaged. Union Minister Bhagwant Khuba and other BJP leaders, along with members of Sri Ram Sene, entered the dagrah premises to perform ‘purification puja’ of Raghava Chaitanya linga. Some members in the group threw stones in which the vehicles of Mr. Khuba, the Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of Police were damaged.
Muslims also gathered in large numbers near the dargah opposing the right-wing activists’ efforts to offer puja in the dargah premises.
The town returned to normal on March 2. However, shops and commercial establishments remained closed, and the movement of vehicles and people was sparse. Police said that they had recovered a large quantity of stones, sticks and rods stocked on the terrace of some houses.
Fresh prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC up to March 5 were issued in Aland to prevent further tension and bring the situation under control. A heavy police force was deployed in the town to keep vigil and prevent any untoward incident.
