Shoot at sight orders in Mangalore; One person succumbs to stab wounds

Shoot at sight orders were issued in parts of Mangalore and its suburbs late on Friday night following escalation in communal violence.

Police confirmed that one person, who sufferred stab wounds during group clashes on Wednesday, succumbed to his injuries in the hospital. Curfew was imposed in Ullal and Konaje on the outskirts of Mangalore in the wake of unabated arson, looting and group clashes.

Karnataka’s Director General of Police B S Sial visited the riot-hit areas of Mangalore yesterday to take stock of the situation and supervise security arrangements. Speaking to reporters, Sial regretted that the police had failed to contain the violence much earlier. “They could have resorted to caning effectively and used more tear gas shells to disperse the mobs in sensitive areas”, he said.

However, he said the situation in Mangalore was under control on Saturday. Curfew will remain in force for the next forty-eight hours in the affected areas of Mangalore. Any decision on withdrawal or extension of curfew will be taken on the basis of the prevailing situation after the expiry of forty-eight hours, he said.

Sial said a total of 70 persons had been hurt in the three-day communal violence in Mangalore. A total of 177 persons have been arrested, besides 133 others have been taken into preventive custody, he said.

Though an uneasy calm marred by stray incidents of violence were reported from many parts of Mangalore, it was the suburb of Ullal on the outskirts of Mangalore that was caught in the communal mayhem on Friday during the bundh called pro-Hindu groups to protest the arrest of their leader Pramod Mutalik in Chickmagalur district. Mobs went on a rampage assaulting innocent pedestrians, hurling bottles and stones at places of worship and looting shops and business establishments.

Soon violence spread to nearby areas of Konaje, where vehicles and shops were torched. By evening violence had spread deep into the hinterland of Ullal and Konaje forcing people to take shelter in mosques and temples.

Though the police convened an emergency peace meeting in Ullal, which was attended by leaders of the two communities, it proved to be an exercise in futility. For, even as the meeting was taking place, stone were thrown at a place of worship, forcing police to swing into action and resort to firing in the air and caning.

Routine life was severely hit in Mangalore and its suburbs following escalation of violence. Shops and business establishments remained closed and people had a tough time purchasing essential items.