SDPI distances itself from Bengaluru violence; blames it on police inaction

Political outfit the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) distanced itself from the violent attack that broke out in Bengaluru on Tuesday night, even as the city police arrested party member Muzamil Pasha for instigating the mob.
The party leaders blamed the police for refusing to act quickly on a complaint by community members over a derogatory social media post that spoke ill of Prophet Muhammad. “People had approached the police to file a complaint against Naveen who has been repeatedly making offensive comments against the Prophet and the religion. But the police neither booked a case nor arrested Naveen till late night. The crowd turned aggressive,” SDPI Karnataka president Elyas Mohammed Tumbe said in a video message.

While he condemned the incident and said it should not have happened in the first place, Tumbe also maintained that SDPI was unfairly targeted. “Muzamil, in fact, was helping the police to calm down the crowd. The police are shifting the blame on SDPI to cover up their failure,” he said.

MD Sharief, SDPI Bengaluru unit president said the incident could have been avoided had the police acted swiftly. “Religion is a very sensitive issue and the police knew that people who had come to the station to file a complaint were getting restless and disappointed after three hours of wait,” Sharief said, adding that Naveen had shared such posts in the past too and he went scot-free because of his political clout.

Violent mob went on a rampage in East Bengaluru’s DJ Halli and KG Halli on Tuesday night, setting ablazing vehicles, a police station in the vicinity and the house of local Congress legislator Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy. The incident took place in response to a social media post by Naveen, nephew of the MLA. Three lives were lost in the police firing during the riots. The police have arrested Naveen for outraging religious feelings, and over 110 people for arson and assaulting.