Communal violence rocks Mangalore

Stray incidents of stone throwing and arson were reported from Mangalore yesterday, a day after the coastal town was rocked by communal clashes.

Though the police described the situation as “tense, but under control”, Mangalore resembled a ghost town on Friday with shops and business establishments remaining closed and vehicles staying off the roads. Schools and colleges were closed while Government offices and private establishments reported thin attendance.

Mangalore was engulfed in communal violence on Thursday with groups fighting pitched battles in various parts of the town after the interception of a vehicle carrying cattle to the slaughter house by Bajrang Dal activists led to a full-blown conflagration. The police was forced to open fire and lob tear gas shells a few areas of the town to bring the situation under control.

Hundreds of vehicles and shops across the town were burnt on Thursday while miscreants attacked two places of worship belonging to different communities. A total of 42 people, including seven policemen had been injured in the clashes. An incident of stabbing was also reported from an industrial estate in Mangalore late on Thursday.

The police, who had to resort to caning at several places, have taken more than 100 persons into custody for interrogation. A total of 24 cases have been booked so far, according to Inspector General of Police, Western Range, H N Satyanarayana, who is camping in Mangalore since Thursday.

Except for the stone throwing incidents reported from outskirts of Mangalore, besides the torching of a provision store and an autorickshaw, Mangalore has remained largely calm throughout Friday, police said. But, the prohibitory orders will remain in force till Sunday night.

Additional battalions of Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) had been summoned from different parts of the State and deployed in the sensitive areas of Mangalore. Police officials admit that dispatch of several policemen from Mangalore for official duty at the disputed Bababudangiri shrine in Chikmagalur district had made it difficult for them to bring the situation under control in Mangalore.

The origin of the ensuing bout of communal disturbance in Mangalore is traced to the interception of a van carrying cattle to the abattoir and subsequent clash between two groups on Wednesday night. The Bajrang Dal and other Sangh Parivar activists gave a call for a Mangalore shutdown on Thursday to protest Wednesday’s incident, which led to spreading of the communal trouble to various parts of the town.

Meanwhile, another organization Sri Rama Seva Mandali had given a call for Mangalore bundh on Friday to protest against the arrest of Pramod Mutalik of Rashtriya Hindu Sena in Chikmagalur.