HUBBALLI: Five days after riots broke out in Hubballi over a derogatory WhatsApp post which led to mobs attacking cops and a police station, a maulvi who allegedly made a provocative speech from atop apolice vehicle and six others were arrested on Thursday. With this, 134 persons have been arrested in the case.
The maulvi has been identified as Wasim Pathan, who was in hiding after the incident on Saturday. HubballiDharwad City police commissioner Labhu Ram told reporters here that the maulvi was arrested in Belagavi and brought to Hubballi for inquiry.
Barely four hours before he was arrested on Thursday, Wasim Pathan released a video on social media in which he confirmed that he climbed on to a police vehicle and made an appeal to the rioting mob to not take law into their hands. He denied making any provocative speech that night.
12 cases registered, 134 arrested so far
In the video, Pathan said he had to stand on the police vehicle as there was no mic to address the people. “I stood on the police vehicle only after police asked me to do so,” he claimed.
Police have so far registered 12 cases and arrested 134 persons in connection with Saturday’s riots. Special police teams have been formed to probe the incident from all possible angles. The p olice commissioner refused to share more details on the maulvi and others arrested on Thursday.
Prohibitory orders imposed under Section 144 of CrPC will continue in five police station limits -Town, Old Hubballi, Kasabapeth, Ghantikeri and Bendigeri in the south sub-division -till April 23, the officersaid.
