Bengaluru Riots: Muzamil Pasha, Leader Of Islamist Outfit SDPI, Arrested For His Alleged Role In Engineering Mob Violence

SDPI leader Muzamil Pasha has been arrested by Bengaluru Police for his suspected role in the engineering the deadly mob violence which erupted in DJ Halli police station area on Tuesday night and continued till the wee hours of Wednesday.

At least three people were killed after police opened fire to quell Muslim mobs that went on a rampage over an Facebook post that they deemed derogatory to Mohammed whom they revere as their Prophet. The irate mob indulged in rioting and arson attempted to set on fire the residence of Congress MLA Akhand Srinivasa Murthy and a nearby DJ Halli police station. The mob also vandalised houses, torching police vehicles and pelted stones at the cops.

The social media post was attributed to P Naveen, a close relative of Srinivasa Murthy, the sitting legislator from the reseved Pulikeshinagar constituency.

Muzamil Pasha had also unsuccessfully contested in the 2015 BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) election from Sagayapura (Ward no.60) which falls under Pulakeshinagar, a SC-reserved constituency. Local reports suggest that the violent incident was orchestrated as a part of a political conspiracy to polarise the community votes ahead of the upcoming BBMP elections.

SDPI has been attempting to make its presence felt in Bengaluru with its candidate Mujahid Pasha winning the Siddapura Ward No. 144 of Chickpet Assembly Constituency.

Another SDPI activist Ayaz is also under the scanner for provocating the rioters to vandalise the two police stations at DJ Halli and KG Halli area in East Bengaluru.

The police have also recovered CCTV footage which allegedly showed that a person distributing money to rioters ahead of the violence. The CCTV footage indicates that the attacks against the police station were a pre-planned act as the rioters were already mobilised through social media posts.

Before the lockdown, Bilal Bagh in DJ Halli had emerged as the epicentre of anti-CAA and NRC protest site on the lines of Shaheen Bagh in Delhi.